What is a good Sit Ups?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Sit Ups is about 57 reps. Advanced starts around 99 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Sit Ups for a 180 lb male is about 57 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Sit Ups into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 99 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Sit Ups? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Sit Ups Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 57 Sit Ups in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 99+, and an elite lifter reaches 146 or more.
Sit Ups rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 57 Sit Ups at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 43.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 60 Sit Ups, dropping to about 50 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 Sit Ups?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
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.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Sit Ups entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
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.
How Much Should You Sit Ups?
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 | 25 | 70 | 128 | 196 |
| 120 | < 1 | 25 | 68 | 123 | 187 |
| 130 | < 1 | 25 | 66 | 118 | 178 |
| 140 | < 1 | 25 | 64 | 113 | 171 |
| 150 | < 1 | 25 | 62 | 109 | 164 |
| 160 | < 1 | 24 | 60 | 106 | 157 |
| 170 | < 1 | 24 | 59 | 102 | 152 |
| 180 | < 1 | 23 | 57 | 99 | 146 |
| 190 | < 1 | 23 | 55 | 95 | 141 |
| 200 | < 1 | 22 | 54 | 93 | 136 |
| 210 | < 1 | 22 | 52 | 90 | 132 |
| 220 | < 1 | 21 | 51 | 87 | 128 |
| 230 | < 1 | 21 | 50 | 85 | 124 |
| 240 | < 1 | 20 | 48 | 82 | 120 |
| 250 | < 1 | 20 | 47 | 80 | 117 |
| 260 | < 1 | 19 | 46 | 78 | 114 |
| 270 | < 1 | 19 | 45 | 76 | 111 |
| 280 | < 1 | 18 | 44 | 74 | 108 |
| 290 | < 1 | 18 | 42 | 72 | 105 |
| 300 | < 1 | 17 | 41 | 70 | 102 |
| 310 | < 1 | 17 | 40 | 69 | 100 |
| 90 | < 1 | 14 | 53 | 103 | 163 |
| 100 | < 1 | 14 | 51 | 98 | 153 |
| 110 | < 1 | 14 | 49 | 93 | 145 |
| 120 | < 1 | 14 | 47 | 89 | 137 |
| 130 | < 1 | 14 | 45 | 85 | 130 |
| 140 | < 1 | 14 | 43 | 81 | 124 |
| 150 | < 1 | 13 | 42 | 77 | 118 |
| 160 | < 1 | 13 | 40 | 74 | 113 |
| 170 | < 1 | 12 | 38 | 71 | 108 |
| 180 | < 1 | 12 | 37 | 68 | 104 |
| 190 | < 1 | 11 | 36 | 66 | 100 |
| 200 | < 1 | 11 | 34 | 63 | 96 |
| 210 | < 1 | 10 | 33 | 61 | 93 |
| 220 | < 1 | 10 | 32 | 59 | 89 |
| 230 | < 1 | 10 | 31 | 57 | 86 |
| 240 | < 1 | 9 | 30 | 55 | 83 |
| 250 | < 1 | 9 | 29 | 53 | 81 |
| 260 | < 1 | 9 | 28 | 51 | 78 |
Is Your Sit Ups Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Sit Ups at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Sit Ups is about 57 reps. Advanced lifters hit 99 reps, and Elite is 146 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Sit Ups is about 43 reps. Advanced lifters hit 81 reps, and Elite is 124 reps.
Sit Ups Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 57 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 43 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 62 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 51 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 60 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 50 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Sit Ups Strength?
How Sit Ups 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 | 15 | 46 | 86 | 131 |
| 20 | < 1 | 22 | 57 | 103 | 155 |
| 25 | < 1 | 23 | 60 | 106 | 159 |
| 30 | < 1 | 23 | 60 | 106 | 159 |
| 35 | < 1 | 23 | 60 | 106 | 159 |
| 40 | < 1 | 23 | 60 | 106 | 159 |
| 45 | < 1 | 20 | 55 | 99 | 150 |
| 50 | < 1 | 17 | 50 | 91 | 139 |
| 55 | < 1 | 14 | 44 | 82 | 126 |
| 60 | < 1 | 10 | 38 | 72 | 113 |
| 65 | < 1 | 7 | 31 | 63 | 99 |
| 70 | < 1 | 4 | 25 | 53 | 86 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 19 | 44 | 73 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | 14 | 37 | 63 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 30 | 53 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 24 | 45 |
| 15 | < 1 | 7 | 33 | 66 | 105 |
| 20 | < 1 | 12 | 42 | 80 | 124 |
| 25 | < 1 | 13 | 44 | 83 | 128 |
| 30 | < 1 | 13 | 44 | 83 | 128 |
| 35 | < 1 | 13 | 44 | 83 | 128 |
| 40 | < 1 | 13 | 44 | 83 | 128 |
| 45 | < 1 | 10 | 40 | 77 | 120 |
| 50 | < 1 | 9 | 36 | 71 | 111 |
| 55 | < 1 | 6 | 31 | 63 | 100 |
| 60 | < 1 | 3 | 25 | 55 | 89 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 20 | 47 | 78 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 39 | 67 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 32 | 56 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 25 | 47 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 20 | 39 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 15 | 33 |
What Do Sit Ups Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Sit Ups, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Sit Ups with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Sit Ups is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Sit Ups through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Sit Ups 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 Sit Ups
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Sit Ups to the next level.
- Train the Sit Ups 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.
- Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Sit Ups.
- 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.
- Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Sit Ups 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.
- Maximize Sit Ups 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.
How to Perform Sit Ups
- Lie flat on your back on a mat with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Place your hands behind your head, lightly supporting your neck with your fingertips, or cross them over your chest.
- Engage your core by drawing your belly button towards your spine.
- Exhale as you lift your upper body towards your knees, using your abdominal muscles and keeping your lower back on the floor.
- Pause briefly at the top of the movement, ensuring you do not pull on your neck.
- Inhale as you slowly lower your upper body back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips for Sit Ups
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and avoid using momentum to lift your body.
- Focus on using your abdominal muscles rather than pulling with your hands or straining your neck.
- Control the movement both up and down to maximize muscle engagement.
- Modify the range of motion or add a stability ball to accommodate different fitness levels.
Where Do These Sit Ups 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 Sit Ups Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Sit Ups against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- 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 Sit Ups 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
