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lever military press Strength Standards

Quick Answer lever military press

A 180 lb male with an Intermediate-level lever military press of 113 lbs ranks at the 50th percentile (FVCP), stronger than ~50% of lifters. An Advanced lifter at this weight lifts 147 lbs (0.82x bodyweight).

FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), based on 2.5M+ verified competition results

lever military press demonstration
Competition-Derived

How strong is your lever military press? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles delts
Equipment lever
Data Points 71 rows
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

Estimated Standards - Estimated from shoulder-press standards using a 0.78x ratio.. These values are derived from verified competition data for the base exercise. Learn about our methodology

How Strong Is Your lever military press?

Your FVCP:
FitnessVolt Competition Percentile, based on 2.5M+ verified results
th percentile
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to track your progress over time.

How Much Should You lever military press?

1RM weight (lbs) you should be able to lift at each standard, based on your bodyweight.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 25 42 65 91 122
120 30 48 72 101 132
130 35 55 80 109 141
140 40 60 87 117 151
150 44 66 94 126 160
160 49 72 100 133 168
170 54 77 106 140 177
180 59 83 113 147 186
190 62 88 119 154 193
200 67 93 125 161 200
210 71 98 131 168 208
220 76 103 137 175 215
230 80 108 142 181 222
240 83 112 147 186 229
250 87 117 153 193 236
260 91 122 158 198 242
270 95 126 163 204 248
280 99 130 168 210 254
290 103 135 172 215 260
300 106 139 177 220 266
310 110 143 182 225 271

How Does Age Affect lever military press Strength?

How lever military press standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 44 66 94 128 165
20 50 76 108 146 188
25 51 77 111 150 193
30 51 77 111 150 193
35 51 77 111 150 193
40 51 77 111 150 193
45 48 73 105 142 183
50 45 69 98 133 172
55 42 64 91 123 159
60 38 59 83 113 145
65 35 52 75 102 131
70 31 48 68 91 118
75 28 42 60 82 105
80 25 37 54 73 94
85 23 34 48 66 84
90 20 30 44 59 76

What Do lever military press Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the lever military press, 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 lever military press 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 lever military press 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 lever military press 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 lever military press 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 lever military press

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your lever military press to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the lever military press 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 your E1RM progress →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the lever military press.
  • 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 lever military press 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 lever military press 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 lever military press

["Adjust the seat height and position yourself on the machine with your back against the backrest.","Grasp the handles with an overhand grip and position your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Push the handles upward until your arms are fully extended, but do not lock your elbows.","Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the handles back down to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete lever military press guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These lever military press Standards Come From?

These lever military press standards are based on 2.5M+ verified competition results from powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide. Every number comes from a sanctioned meet with certified judges - not self-reported gym lifts. Data is sourced from OpenPowerlifting and other verified competition databases, ensuring accuracy you can trust.

Last Updated: March 30, 2026

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

Is Your lever military press Good for Your Weight?

Strength standards help you objectively measure your lever military press performance relative to other lifters of the same bodyweight and sex. Here is how to interpret them:

  1. Find your bodyweight in the left column of the table above.
  2. Look across the row to find which strength level your 1RM falls into.
  3. Use the age tab to see how your strength compares within your age group.
  4. Switch between Male and Female standards using the toggle - each has its own dataset.

If you do not know your 1RM, use the E1RM Calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can lever military press 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.

These standards are derived from 2.5M+ competition results across powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide, combined with community training data.

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" lever military press depends on your bodyweight, sex, and training experience. As a general benchmark, an Intermediate-level lift (stronger than 50% of lifters) is a solid goal for most recreational athletes. Check the table above for your specific bodyweight.
Most lifters can reach Intermediate level on the lever military press within 1-2 years of consistent training with progressive overload and proper nutrition. Genetics, training program quality, and recovery all play a role.
Yes. Our standards are calculated from 2.5M+ verified competition results and community-reported data. They are adjusted for bodyweight and age to give you an accurate comparison.
These standards are based on raw (unequipped) lifts. If you use supportive equipment like a bench shirt or squat suit, your equipped numbers will be higher than these standards reflect.

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E1RM Calculator Estimate your one-rep max from any rep set Benchmarks Compare against competition data RPE Chart Training load percentages by RPE