Skip to content
Lunge strength standards

What is a good Lunge?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Lunge is about 37 reps. Advanced starts around 69 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 37 reps Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 69 reps Advanced standard
Gym median Separate tab Self-reported, not blended
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 Lunge

A solid (Intermediate) Lunge for a 180 lb male is about 37 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Lunge into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 69 reps.

FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately

Lunge demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your Lunge? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles Calves, Core, Quadriceps, Glutes, Hamstrings
Equipment None
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

How Many Lunge Should You Be Able to Do?

A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 37 Lunge in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 69+, and an elite lifter reaches 105 or more.

Lunge rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:

Beginnerfewer than 1
Novice11 reps
Intermediate37 reps
Advanced69 reps
Elite105 reps

Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 37 Lunge at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 28.

By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 38 Lunge, dropping to about 31 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.

What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with fewer than one and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.

FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately

How Strong Is Your Lunge?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male doing 37 reps on the Lunge 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.

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 rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.

Help improve accuracy for everyone
Share your FVCP with friends
Thanks for contributing! lifters have shared their data for this exercise.
to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

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

37 reps Typical reps (Intermediate)

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 Lunge?

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 < 1 9 41 84 135
120 < 1 10 41 82 130
130 < 1 10 41 80 125
140 < 1 11 40 77 120
150 < 1 11 39 75 116
160 < 1 11 38 73 112
170 < 1 11 38 71 108
180 < 1 11 37 69 105
190 < 1 11 36 67 102
200 < 1 11 35 65 99
210 < 1 11 35 63 96
220 < 1 11 34 62 93
230 < 1 11 33 60 90
240 < 1 11 32 58 88
250 < 1 10 31 57 86
260 < 1 10 31 56 83
270 < 1 10 30 54 81
280 < 1 10 29 53 79
290 < 1 10 29 52 77
300 < 1 9 28 50 75
310 < 1 9 27 49 74

Is Your Lunge Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Lunge is about 37 reps. Advanced lifters hit 69 reps, and Elite is 105 reps.

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Lunge is about 28 reps. Advanced lifters hit 51 reps, and Elite is 77 reps.

Lunge Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age

Men: a 180 lb male should do about 37 reps at an Intermediate level.

Women: a 140 lb female should do about 28 reps at an Intermediate level.

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 39 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 34 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.

By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 38 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 31 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.

FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately

How Does Age Affect Lunge Strength?

How Lunge 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 < 1 6 28 58 92
20 < 1 10 36 70 110
25 < 1 10 38 73 113
30 < 1 10 38 73 113
35 < 1 10 38 73 113
40 < 1 10 38 73 113
45 < 1 9 34 68 106
50 < 1 7 31 62 98
55 < 1 4 26 55 88
60 < 1 1 21 48 78
65 < 1 < 1 16 40 67
70 < 1 < 1 12 33 57
75 < 1 < 1 8 26 48
80 < 1 < 1 5 20 40
85 < 1 < 1 1 15 33
90 < 1 < 1 < 1 11 27

What Do Lunge Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning to hit proper depth on the Lunge, building ankle and hip mobility, and developing the bracing pattern needed to keep your torso upright under load.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can execute the Lunge with consistent depth and bracing. You are adding weight session to session using linear progression and building foundational leg strength.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Lunge technique is solid through heavy loads. You use periodized programming, understand RPE-based autoregulation, and can grind through sticking points without form breakdown.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have refined your Lunge stance, bar position, and breathing to maximize leverage. You train with block periodization, manage fatigue across training cycles, and likely compete or train at a competitive level.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Lunge is at a regional or national competitive standard. You have years of structured peaking cycles behind you and have optimized every technical detail from walkout to lockout.

How to Progress Your Lunge

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Lunge to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Lunge 2x per week, focusing on hitting consistent depth every rep.
  • Use linear progression: add 5 lbs each session as long as form stays solid.
  • Record sets at RPE 6-7 to build volume without excessive fatigue.
  • Prioritize ankle and hip mobility work before each session.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Switch from linear to weekly periodization (e.g., light/medium/heavy days).
  • Add a Lunge variation (pause squats, tempo squats) for weak-point work.
  • Keep most working sets at RPE 7-8, with occasional top singles at RPE 9.
  • Start tracking your training volume (sets x reps x load) week to week.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Periodized Training Blocks
  • Run 4-6 week training blocks with planned intensity peaks and deloads.
  • Use RPE 8-9 for primary sets, RPE 7 for backoff volume.
  • Address specific sticking points with targeted accessory work.
  • Manage fatigue: total weekly sets of 12-20 for the Lunge movement pattern.
Program your backoff sets →
Advanced → Elite Competition-Level Peaking
  • Run structured peaking cycles (8-12 weeks) leading to maximal attempts.
  • Fine-tune technique details: walkout, descent speed, breath timing.
  • Use the RPE chart to hit precise percentages during peaking blocks.
  • Consider competing to test your Lunge under meet conditions.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform Lunge

  1. Start by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart and your hands on your hips or by your sides.
  2. Step forward with your right foot, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Your right knee should not extend past your toes, and your left knee should hover just above the ground.
  3. Push through your right heel to return to the starting position.
  4. Repeat with the left leg stepping forward.
  5. Continue alternating legs for the desired number of repetitions.
  6. Breathing: Inhale as you step forward and lower your body, exhale as you push back to the starting position.

Read the complete Lunge guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Lunge

  • Keep your torso upright throughout the exercise to engage your core.
  • Ensure your front knee does not extend past your toes to avoid knee strain.
  • Maintain a controlled motion; avoid rushing through the movement.
  • For beginners, start with bodyweight lunges before adding any resistance.

Where Do These Lunge 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 Lunge Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Lunge 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 Lunge 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" Lunge 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 Lunge 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.