Skip to content
Shoulder Pin Press strength standards

What is a good Shoulder Pin Press?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Shoulder Pin Press is about 149 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 197 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 149 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 197 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 Shoulder Pin Press

A solid (Intermediate) Shoulder Pin Press for a 180 lb male is about 149 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Shoulder Pin Press into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 197 lb (1.09x bodyweight).

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

Estimated Standards

How strong is your Shoulder Pin Press? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles Shoulders (Deltoids), Triceps, Upper Chest
Equipment Barbell, Power Rack
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

How Strong Is Your Shoulder Pin Press?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 149 lbs (0.83x bodyweight) on the Shoulder Pin Press 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.

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 Shoulder Pin Press entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

149 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.83x 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 Shoulder Pin Press?

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 29 51 80 117 158
120 35 59 91 130 173
130 41 67 101 142 187
140 48 76 111 154 201
150 54 84 121 165 214
160 61 92 130 176 226
170 67 99 140 187 238
180 74 107 149 197 250
190 80 114 158 208 262
200 86 122 166 217 273
210 92 129 175 227 283
220 98 136 183 236 294
230 104 143 191 245 304
240 110 150 198 254 314
250 115 156 206 263 323
260 121 163 214 271 333
270 126 169 221 279 342
280 132 176 228 287 351
290 137 182 235 295 359
300 142 188 242 303 368
310 148 194 249 311 376

Is Your Shoulder Pin Press Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Shoulder Pin Press is about 149 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 197 lb (1.09x), and Elite is 250 lb (1.39x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Shoulder Pin Press is about 71 lb (0.51x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 103 lb (0.74x), and Elite is 140 lb (1x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Shoulder Pin Press?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 149 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 74 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 71 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 25 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 121 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 183 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 149 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 132 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 Shoulder Pin Press Strength?

How Shoulder Pin Press 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 56 87 127 174 227
20 64 99 145 199 259
25 65 102 149 205 266
30 65 102 149 205 266
35 65 102 149 205 266
40 65 102 149 205 266
45 62 97 141 194 252
50 58 91 132 182 237
55 54 84 123 168 219
60 49 77 112 154 200
65 44 69 101 139 181
70 40 62 91 125 162
75 36 56 81 111 145
80 32 50 73 100 130
85 29 45 65 89 116
90 26 40 59 81 105

What Do Shoulder Pin Press Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the bar path and loading on the Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin Press

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Shoulder Pin Press to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Shoulder Pin 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 progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin 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 Shoulder Pin Press

  1. Set up a barbell on a power rack at approximately shoulder height or slightly above.
  2. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, grip the barbell with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
  3. Position the barbell just under your chin or at collarbone level, keeping your chest up and core engaged.
  4. Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully without locking out your elbows.
  5. Lower the barbell back to the starting position, ensuring it touches the pins gently.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips for Shoulder Pin Press

  • Keep your core engaged to maintain stability and prevent back arching.
  • Avoid using momentum; focus on controlled, smooth movements.
  • Ensure the barbell touches the pins lightly to maintain consistent form.

Where Do These Shoulder Pin Press 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 Shoulder Pin Press Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Shoulder Pin Press 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 Shoulder Pin Press 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" Shoulder Pin Press 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 Shoulder Pin Press 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.