Back squat strength standards

The back squat e1RM that reaches each level, for men and women from 50 to 140 kg bodyweight. An 80 kg man is Intermediate at 100 kg; a 60 kg woman at 54 kg.

Sex
Unit

e1RM 102.08 kg, 1.28 × bodyweight

Intermediate

37.92 kg to Advanced

Reps at 1 means the weight is your max. Otherwise the Epley estimate is used, as in the app.

No recent single? Estimate it on the back squat one-rep max calculator.

Men

Men: the e1RM in kg that reaches each level at each bodyweight. Ratios 0.75 / 1.25 / 1.75 / 2.25 × bodyweight; below Novice is Beginner.
BodyweightNoviceIntermediateAdvancedElite
50 kg37.562.587.5112.5
55 kg41.56996.5124
60 kg4575105135
65 kg4981.5114146.5
70 kg52.587.5122.5157.5
75 kg56.594131.5169
80 kg60100140180
85 kg64106.5149191.5
90 kg67.5112.5157.5202.5
95 kg71.5119166.5214
100 kg75125175225
105 kg79131.5184236.5
110 kg82.5137.5192.5247.5
115 kg86.5144201.5259
120 kg90150210270
125 kg94156.5219281.5
130 kg97.5162.5227.5292.5
135 kg101.5169236.5304
140 kg105175245315
Men: the e1RM in lb that reaches each level at each bodyweight. Ratios 0.75 / 1.25 / 1.75 / 2.25 × bodyweight; below Novice is Beginner.
BodyweightNoviceIntermediateAdvancedElite
110 lb83138193248
120 lb90150210270
130 lb98163228293
140 lb105175245315
150 lb113188263338
160 lb120200280360
170 lb128213298383
180 lb135225315405
190 lb143238333428
200 lb150250350450
210 lb158263368473
220 lb165275385495
230 lb173288403518
240 lb180300420540
250 lb188313438563
260 lb195325455585
270 lb203338473608
280 lb210350490630
290 lb218363508653
300 lb225375525675
310 lb233388543698

Women

Women: the e1RM in kg that reaches each level at each bodyweight. Ratios 0.5 / 0.9 / 1.3 / 1.75 × bodyweight; below Novice is Beginner.
BodyweightNoviceIntermediateAdvancedElite
50 kg25456587.5
55 kg27.549.571.596.5
60 kg305478105
65 kg32.558.584.5114
70 kg356391122.5
75 kg37.567.597.5131.5
80 kg4072104140
85 kg42.576.5110.5149
90 kg4581117157.5
95 kg47.585.5123.5166.5
100 kg5090130175
105 kg52.594.5136.5184
110 kg5599143192.5
115 kg57.5103.5149.5201.5
120 kg60108156210
125 kg62.5112.5162.5219
130 kg65117169227.5
135 kg67.5121.5175.5236.5
140 kg70126182245
Women: the e1RM in lb that reaches each level at each bodyweight. Ratios 0.5 / 0.9 / 1.3 / 1.75 × bodyweight; below Novice is Beginner.
BodyweightNoviceIntermediateAdvancedElite
110 lb5599143193
120 lb60108156210
130 lb65117169228
140 lb70126182245
150 lb75135195263
160 lb80144208280
170 lb85153221298
180 lb90162234315
190 lb95171247333
200 lb100180260350
210 lb105189273368
220 lb110198286385
230 lb115207299403
240 lb120216312420
250 lb125225325438
260 lb130234338455
270 lb135243351473
280 lb140252364490
290 lb145261377508
300 lb150270390525
310 lb155279403543

What each level means for the back squat

Beginner
Under 0.75 × bodyweight for men and 0.5 × for women (less than 60 kg at 80 kg, 30 kg at 60 kg). Where everyone starts.
Novice
From 0.75 × bodyweight for men and 0.5 × for women. A typical first year of consistent training lands here.
Intermediate
From 1.25 × for men and 0.9 × for women (100 kg and 54 kg at the example bodyweights). A couple of years of consistent training.
Advanced
From 1.75 × for men and 1.3 × for women (140 kg and 78 kg). Well past what a couple of years usually brings.
Elite
From 2.25 × for men and 1.75 × for women (180 kg and 105 kg). Competitive-level relative strength.

How to progress it in Beatweek

Back Squat runs on double progression: climb the rep range at one weight, then add 2.5 kg and start the range again. The chip on the exercise card says which it is today; "Why?" gives the one-sentence reason.

Counts toward the back squat standard: Back Squat, High-Bar Back Squat, Low-Bar Back Squat. Log any of them and the Progress screen shows your level and the kilograms to the next one, updated every workout.

Your level, every workout

Set bodyweight and sex once in the profile. Beatweek reads the best set you log and says it in one line: at 80 kg, 87.5 kg × 5 reads “Intermediate, 37.92 kg to Advanced”.

Questions

What is a good back squat for an 80 kg man?

On Beatweek’s table an 80 kg man reaches Intermediate at an e1RM of 100 kg (1.25 × bodyweight), Advanced at 140 kg and Elite at 180 kg. Novice starts at 60 kg.

What is a good back squat for a 60 kg woman?

On Beatweek’s table a 60 kg woman reaches Intermediate at an e1RM of 54 kg (0.9 × bodyweight), Advanced at 78 kg and Elite at 105 kg. Novice starts at 30 kg.

What back squat should I expect after a year of training?

The table is set so that a typical first year of consistent training lands in Novice: 0.75 × bodyweight for men and 0.5 × for women, which is 60 kg for an 80 kg man and 30 kg for a 60 kg woman. A couple of years usually reaches Intermediate, 1.25 × and 0.9 ×.

What counts as an elite back squat?

Elite means competitive-level relative strength: an e1RM of 2.25 × bodyweight for men and 1.75 × for women, so 180 kg for an 80 kg man and 105 kg for a 60 kg woman. The table ignores age, height and training age.

Methodology

These are Beatweek’s own tables, the ones the app uses: original round numbers, approximate and deliberately conservative. Each level is a ratio of your estimated one-rep max to bodyweight; the estimate is Epley, weight × (1 + reps / 30), from your best set. The tables ignore age, height and training age, so read them as a yardstick, not a validated norm. When sex is not set, the app uses the men’s table and says so. Table values are rounded to 0.5 kg or 1 lb.

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