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smith behind neck press strength standards

What is a good smith behind neck press?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate smith behind neck press is about 116 lb (0.64x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 151 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 116 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 151 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 smith behind neck press

A solid (Intermediate) smith behind neck press for a 180 lb male is about 116 lb (0.64x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own smith behind neck press into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 151 lb (0.84x bodyweight).

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

smith behind neck press demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles delts
Equipment smith-machine
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Advanced
Type Compound

Estimated Standards - The level table for this exercise is modeled from FitnessVolt strength ratios for a related base lift, not from direct measurements of this movement. Learn about our methodology

How Strong Is Your smith behind neck press?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 116 lbs (0.64x bodyweight) on the smith behind neck 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.

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to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

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

116 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.64x 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 smith behind neck 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 26 43 66 94 125
120 31 50 74 103 135
130 36 56 82 112 145
140 41 62 89 120 155
150 46 68 96 129 164
160 50 74 102 136 173
170 55 79 109 144 182
180 60 85 116 151 190
190 64 90 122 158 198
200 69 95 128 166 206
210 73 101 134 172 214
220 78 106 140 179 221
230 82 110 146 186 228
240 86 115 151 191 234
250 90 120 157 198 242
260 94 125 162 203 248
270 98 129 167 210 254
280 102 134 172 215 261
290 106 138 177 221 266
300 109 142 182 226 273
310 113 146 186 231 278

Is Your smith behind neck press Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) smith behind neck press is about 116 lb (0.64x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 151 lb (0.84x), and Elite is 190 lb (1.06x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) smith behind neck press is about 58 lb (0.41x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 82 lb (0.59x), and Elite is 110 lb (0.79x).

How Much Should You Be Able to smith behind neck press?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 116 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 60 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 58 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 23 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 96 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 140 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 114 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 101 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 smith behind neck press Strength?

How smith behind neck 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 45 68 97 131 169
20 51 78 110 150 193
25 53 79 114 154 198
30 53 79 114 154 198
35 53 79 114 154 198
40 53 79 114 154 198
45 50 75 108 146 188
50 46 70 101 137 176
55 43 66 94 126 163
60 39 60 86 116 149
65 36 54 77 105 134
70 32 49 70 94 121
75 29 43 62 84 108
80 26 38 55 75 97
85 23 34 50 67 86
90 21 31 45 61 78

What Do smith behind neck press Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement path and resistance curve on the smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck press

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your smith behind neck press to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck press

["Adjust the seat height of the smith machine so that the bar is at shoulder level.","Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.","Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Lift the bar off the rack and step back, maintaining a stable stance.","Lower the bar down to the back of your neck, keeping your elbows pointing forward.","Press the bar up overhead until your arms are fully extended.","Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the bar back down to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete smith behind neck press guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These smith behind neck 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 29, 2026

Is Your smith behind neck press Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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" smith behind neck 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 smith behind neck 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.