The finding in one sentence
In verified raw competition data, the median woman lifts about 53.8% of the median man on the bench press and about 67.6% on the deadlift at the same bodyweight class, so the strength gap is widest upper-body and narrowest on the deadlift (Fitness Volt, OpenPowerlifting).
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How Much Stronger Are Men Than Women?
At the same competition bodyweight class, the median man out-lifts the median woman by a margin that is largest on the bench press and smallest on the deadlift. Comparing the 50th-percentile raw lift for each sex across 5 deeply-sampled weight classes in the public OpenPowerlifting dataset:
- Bench press: the median woman lifts about 53.8% of the median man's bench at her weight class - the widest gap of the three lifts.
- Squat: the median woman lifts about 67.7% of the median man's squat.
- Deadlift: the median woman lifts about 67.6% of the median man's deadlift - the narrowest gap.
The upper-body gap (bench press) is larger than the lower-body gap (squat and deadlift), which matches the well-documented sex difference in upper-body muscle mass. Every figure is a judged competition lift, so partial reps and inflated self-reports are filtered out.
The Strength Gap Across Bodyweight Classes
The median female competition lift as a percentage of the median male lift in the same class. The bench-press line sits lowest (biggest gap); the deadlift line sits highest (smallest gap).
Squat: Men vs Women by Bodyweight Class (Raw, Median)
Median (50th-percentile) raw squat for each sex in the same competition weight class, with the female lift shown as a percentage of the male lift.
| Weight Class | Men (median) | Women (median) | Women as % of men | Samples (M / F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 281 lb | 226 lb | 80.4% | 6,615 / 18,408 |
| 75 kg (165 lb) | 375 lb | 254 lb | 67.6% | 40,964 / 25,268 |
| 83 kg (183 lb) | 408 lb | 265 lb | 64.9% | 78,720 / 16,751 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 430 lb | 276 lb | 64.1% | 56,498 / 11,646 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 457 lb | 281 lb | 61.4% | 52,653 / 6,030 |
Raw equipment only, 50th-percentile competition lift. Source: OpenPowerlifting (opl-csv), accessed 2026.
Bench Press: Men vs Women by Bodyweight Class (Raw, Median)
Median (50th-percentile) raw bench press for each sex in the same competition weight class, with the female lift shown as a percentage of the male lift.
| Weight Class | Men (median) | Women (median) | Women as % of men | Samples (M / F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 198 lb | 127 lb | 63.9% | 14,402 / 26,158 |
| 75 kg (165 lb) | 254 lb | 143 lb | 56.5% | 74,363 / 33,236 |
| 83 kg (183 lb) | 276 lb | 143 lb | 52% | 96,625 / 22,018 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 303 lb | 149 lb | 49.1% | 101,739 / 15,286 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 325 lb | 154 lb | 47.5% | 98,652 / 7,324 |
Raw equipment only, 50th-percentile competition lift. Source: OpenPowerlifting (opl-csv), accessed 2026.
Deadlift: Men vs Women by Bodyweight Class (Raw, Median)
Median (50th-percentile) raw deadlift for each sex in the same competition weight class, with the female lift shown as a percentage of the male lift.
| Weight Class | Men (median) | Women (median) | Women as % of men | Samples (M / F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 353 lb | 276 lb | 78.1% | 9,738 / 24,525 |
| 75 kg (165 lb) | 441 lb | 303 lb | 68.8% | 56,443 / 32,183 |
| 83 kg (183 lb) | 480 lb | 314 lb | 65.5% | 80,506 / 21,323 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 502 lb | 320 lb | 63.7% | 77,437 / 14,984 |
| 100 kg (220 lb) | 524 lb | 325 lb | 62.1% | 74,229 / 7,365 |
Raw equipment only, 50th-percentile competition lift. Source: OpenPowerlifting (opl-csv), accessed 2026.
Why Is the Bench-Press Gap Bigger Than the Deadlift Gap?
The data shows the same pattern in every class: the male-female gap is widest on the bench press and narrowest on the deadlift. This is the upper-versus-lower-body difference. Men carry a larger share of their muscle mass in the upper body, so the bench press - the most upper-body-dominant of the three lifts - shows the biggest divide. The deadlift and squat lean more on the hips and legs, where the relative sex difference in muscle mass is smaller, so women close more of the gap there.
These are population medians, not a within-person measurement. They compare the typical female competitor to the typical male competitor at the same bodyweight, using only judged competition results.
How Was This Analysis Conducted?
Figures come from the public OpenPowerlifting dataset of verified competition results. For each lift we took the 50th-percentile (median) raw lift for men and for women in the same bodyweight class, then expressed the female median as a percentage of the male median.
- Raw equipment only - no bench shirts, squat suits, or wraps.
- Median (50th percentile) of the best competition lift, not a self-reported average.
- Sample-floor rule: we report only weight classes where both sexes have at least 5,000 verified entries. Very light classes are excluded because the male field there is thin junior and novice data, which produces unstable, non-representative comparisons.
Cite This Study
Press-ready stat: "At the same competition bodyweight class, the median woman benches about 53.8% of the median man, but the gap narrows on the lower-body lifts - women deadlift about 67.6% of the male median (OpenPowerlifting, 2026)."
APA
Fitness Volt. (2026). Men vs Women Strength Gap: How Much Stronger Are Men Than Women?. Retrieved from https://fitnessvolt.com/strength-standards/research/men-vs-women-strength-gap/
MLA
Fitness Volt. "Men vs Women Strength Gap: How Much Stronger Are Men Than Women?." Fitness Volt, 2026, https://fitnessvolt.com/strength-standards/research/men-vs-women-strength-gap/.
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Get the full table behind this study as a spreadsheet-ready CSV. The download matches the numbers shown on this page exactly. Please credit Fitness Volt and link back to this page when you use the data.
Direct link: https://fitnessvolt.com/wp-json/rpe-training/v1/standards/research-csv/men-vs-women-strength-gap
About This Research
The Men vs Women Strength Gap study is published by Fitness Volt and is based on the public OpenPowerlifting dataset of verified raw competition results. It compares the median male and median female competition lift within the same bodyweight class for the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Figures are updated as new competition data is imported.
Common Questions
How much stronger are men than women?
At the same competition bodyweight class, the median woman lifts about 53.8% of the median man on the bench press and about 67.6% on the deadlift, based on verified OpenPowerlifting results. The gap is biggest on upper-body lifts and smallest on the deadlift.
Why is the gap smaller on the deadlift?
The deadlift and squat rely heavily on the hips and legs, where the relative sex difference in muscle mass is smaller. The bench press is more upper-body-dominant, where men carry a larger share of their muscle, so it shows the widest gap.
Are these self-reported gym numbers?
No. Every figure is a judged competition lift from the OpenPowerlifting dataset, which excludes partial reps and inflated self-reports common in gym surveys.
Why are light weight classes not shown?
We report only classes where both sexes have a large verified sample. In the lightest classes the male field is mostly thin junior and novice data, which produces unstable comparisons, so those classes are excluded.
