What the Five Levels Mean
The levels describe training age. Untrained is what a healthy adult can press overhead with correct technique and no practice. Novice is typical after three to nine months of regular pressing. Intermediate usually takes one to two years of consistent, planned training.
Advanced reflects several years of focused work, and elite is the range of strength athletes who train the press seriously. The overhead press is a small-muscle lift, so the jumps between levels are only 2.5 to 15 kg. Expect slower progress than on any other barbell lift.
How to Test Your Overhead Press 1RM Safely
Press from a rack set at about collarbone height, so you never have to clean a heavy bar to start. A failed press usually just comes back down to the shoulders, but set safety arms at chest height in case you lose balance, and keep the area behind you clear.
Warm up with a ladder: empty bar, then about 50 percent for 5, 70 percent for 3, 80 percent for 2, 90 percent for 1, then one or two attempts. Use small jumps near the top; on the press, 1 to 2.5 kg is often the difference between a make and a miss.
You can also estimate instead of testing. Take a hard set of 3 to 6 strict reps, enter it in the overhead press 1RM calculator, and compare the result with the tables.
How Press Standards Shift With Bodyweight and Age
Bodyweight helps the press less than it helps the squat or deadlift. In the men's table the intermediate press goes from 37.5 kg at 52 kg bodyweight to 70 kg at 140 kg, while the ratio falls from about 0.7x to 0.5x. Light lifters should compare ratios; heavy lifters should compare absolute numbers within their class.
The tables assume adults roughly 18 to 40. Shoulder health becomes the main limit for many older lifters, so masters lifters can read the tables a few percent lower per decade and should favor estimating over testing true maxes.
The Bodyweight Ratio Rule of Thumb
For men in the middle bodyweight classes, the press levels line up with these ratios: novice about 0.6x bodyweight, intermediate about 0.75x, advanced about 0.9x, and elite just over 1x. An 82 kg man pressing 60 kg is at intermediate, and a bodyweight press is close to elite.
For women around 60 kg, intermediate is about 0.5x bodyweight and advanced about 0.6x. Pressing half your bodyweight is a strong first goal. A useful cross-check for both sexes: a strict press usually sits around 60 to 70 percent of your bench press.
Form Faults That Inflate or Deflate Your Number
The biggest inflator is leaning back so far that the press turns into a standing incline press. A slight lean to clear the face is normal, but a deep layback lets the chest muscles take over. Bending the knees to drive the bar up turns it into a push press, which often adds 20 percent or more and is not comparable.
On the other side, pressing the bar forward instead of straight up, letting the elbows drift behind the bar at the start, and a loose core all cost weight. Squeezing the glutes, gripping just outside the shoulders, and moving the head back to let the bar pass close to the face usually help right away.
Overhead Press Strength Standards FAQ
Is a 100 kg overhead press good?
Yes, it is exceptional. For a man up to about 110 kg bodyweight, a 100 kg strict press meets or beats the elite figure, and above that it is advanced. For a woman at any bodyweight in these tables, 100 kg is far above elite.
What is a good overhead press for my weight?
For most trained men, a good target is intermediate, about 0.75x bodyweight, so roughly 60 kg at 82 kg bodyweight. For women around 60 kg, intermediate is about 30 kg. Use the Where do I stand box above for your exact bodyweight.
How long to reach intermediate?
The press is the slowest lift to progress, so expect one to two years of structured training to reach intermediate. Many programs add only 1 to 2.5 kg at a time once the novice phase ends.
Are these standards for raw lifts?
Yes. They assume a strict standing barbell press with no leg drive and no supportive gear. Seated presses, dumbbell presses, and push presses are not comparable to these figures.
Where do these numbers come from?
They are compiled from the widely published Kilgore/Rippetoe adult strength standards for the press, converted from pounds to kg and rounded to 2.5 kg. They are reference standards, not data collected from 1RM.fit users.