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smith shoulder press strength standards

What is a good smith shoulder press?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate smith shoulder press is about 128 lb (0.71x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 166 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 128 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 166 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 shoulder press

A solid (Intermediate) smith shoulder press for a 180 lb male is about 128 lb (0.71x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own smith shoulder press into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 166 lb (0.92x bodyweight).

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

smith shoulder press demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your smith shoulder 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 Intermediate
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 shoulder press?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 128 lbs (0.71x bodyweight) on the smith shoulder 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 shoulder press entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

128 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.71x 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 shoulder 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 28 48 73 103 137
120 34 55 81 114 149
130 40 62 90 123 159
140 45 68 98 132 171
150 50 75 106 142 180
160 55 81 113 150 190
170 61 87 120 158 200
180 66 93 128 166 209
190 70 99 134 174 218
200 76 105 141 182 226
210 80 111 148 189 235
220 85 116 154 197 243
230 90 121 160 204 251
240 94 127 166 210 258
250 99 132 172 217 266
260 103 137 178 224 273
270 107 142 184 231 280
280 112 147 189 237 287
290 116 152 194 243 293
300 120 157 200 248 300
310 124 161 205 254 306

Is Your smith shoulder press Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) smith shoulder press is about 128 lb (0.71x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 166 lb (0.92x), and Elite is 209 lb (1.16x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) smith shoulder press is about 64 lb (0.46x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 91 lb (0.65x), and Elite is 121 lb (0.86x).

How Much Should You Be Able to smith shoulder press?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 128 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 66 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 64 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 26 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 106 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 154 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 125 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 111 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 shoulder press Strength?

How smith shoulder 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 49 75 106 144 186
20 56 85 121 165 212
25 58 87 125 169 218
30 58 87 125 169 218
35 58 87 125 169 218
40 58 87 125 169 218
45 55 83 119 160 207
50 51 77 111 150 194
55 48 72 103 139 180
60 43 66 94 128 164
65 40 59 84 115 148
70 35 54 77 103 133
75 32 48 68 92 119
80 28 42 61 83 106
85 26 38 55 74 95
90 23 34 49 67 85

What Do smith shoulder press Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement path and resistance curve on the smith shoulder press, building the shoulder stability and pressing coordination needed to handle heavier loads safely.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can press with a consistent path and controlled tempo on the smith shoulder press. You are progressing linearly and building the chest, shoulder, and tricep base needed for intermediate strength.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your smith shoulder press technique is efficient under heavy loads. You use programmed variations, understand how to manage pressing fatigue, and can grind through the mid-range sticking point.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have optimized your smith shoulder press setup for maximal force production - arch, leg drive, and grip width are dialed in. You train with periodized intensity blocks and accessory work targeting weak points.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your smith shoulder press is at a competitive standard. You have refined every aspect of the lift through years of structured peaking and can produce maximal force with technical precision.

How to Progress Your smith shoulder press

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

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the smith shoulder press 2-3x per week to build pressing strength and shoulder stability.
  • Use linear progression: add 2.5-5 lbs per session.
  • Practice controlled eccentrics (3-second lowering) to build tendon strength.
  • Keep working sets at RPE 6-7 to accumulate quality volume.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Add a pressing variation (close-grip, incline, or paused) for weak-point development.
  • Increase frequency to 2-3 sessions per week with varied rep ranges.
  • Program most sets at RPE 7-8 with one heavy session including RPE 9 work.
  • Build tricep and shoulder accessory volume to support the smith shoulder press.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Periodized Training Blocks
  • Run 4-6 week blocks with planned volume and intensity progression.
  • Use RPE 8-9 for competition-style sets, RPE 7 for volume backoffs.
  • Target your sticking point with specific accessory work (board press, pin press, bands).
  • Manage total weekly pressing volume (12-20 sets) across all push movements.
Program your backoff sets →
Advanced → Elite Competition-Level Peaking
  • Peak with structured 8-12 week cycles targeting a competition or max attempt.
  • Refine your setup: arch, leg drive, grip width, and bar path for maximal efficiency.
  • Use the RPE chart for precise percentage work during peaking phases.
  • Test your smith shoulder press under competition-style commands and judging.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform smith shoulder press

["Adjust the seat height and position yourself on the smith machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.","Grasp the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Lift the bar off the rack and position it at shoulder level, with your elbows bent and palms facing forward.","Press the bar upward until your arms are fully extended overhead.","Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the bar back down to shoulder level.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete smith shoulder press guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These smith shoulder 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 shoulder press Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your smith shoulder 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 shoulder 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 shoulder 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 shoulder 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.