Not sure if your current fitness routine is moving you in the right direction? This blog reveals if you are really getting strong or just spinning your wheels.
You cannot have optimal health and be weak. The question, therefore, is how strong is strong enough? Literally how strong does someone need to be in order to be considered strong or at least strong enough to enjoy the benefits of optimal health? While there is a range of what degree of strength each person would deem a minimal acceptable level, there is certainly an objective way to make this assessment. To help you determine what your current level of strength is and determine where it needs to be, I’m going to discuss some objective standards by which you can evaluate where your level of strength stacks up. I have come to identify these standards based on the hundreds of people I’ve trained in my career as a strength coach as well as taking into consideration the standards of the elite level strength athletes competing today in the barbell sports.
Most people who are unacquainted with strength training have an unusually low perception of what an acceptable level of strength is. When first confronted with what an objective standard for a base level of strength is, they at first recoil. The knee jerk response is to scoff at the standard thinking that the base level of strength I’ve just detailed is unrealistically high as well as unattainable for the average mere mortal such as most of us are. At some point, we need to be confronted with the truth, though, or we will never be roused from our sleepy delusions concerning our strength. The truth is, the numbers I am going to put forth here are attainable by virtually any person, either male or female, if they would only commit to a basic strength program that involves barbell training 3 times a week for an average of 60 minutes per session for 6 to 12 months.
So what is the base level of strength? Well, hold your horses. Before I throw down the numbers, let me preface them by saying they are relevant to any average person that falls between the ages of 18 and 60 years old. These standards may well apply to people outside of that age range; however, the time frame to reach these standards may vary. In the case of someone being much younger or older than the age range listed here, their ability to reach these standards may differ dramatically regarding how long it takes them to reach the goal and what is ultimately achievable. These standards are also based upon the average person assumed to be at a normal, healthy bodyweight.
Disclaimer: before anyone reading this gets pumped up about strength training and begins a program geared toward transforming yourself by becoming brutally strong, you should first consult your physician, particularly if you’ve been doing little to nothing for your fitness up until right now.
With that being said, let’s get into it. A person with an acceptable base level of strength will be able to perform 1 rep of the following exercises: back squat their own bodyweight, bench press 75% of their bodyweight, deadlift 1.25 times their bodyweight, overhead press 50% of their bodyweight, and perform at least 1 chin up. If we assume our subject weighs 180 lbs., the actual numbers are as follows: back squat – 180 lbs., bench press – 135 lbs., deadlift – 225 lbs., and overhead press – 90 lbs. Now bear in mind these numbers represent a very low level of strength. This is the level of strength you need in order to simply not be a total liability to yourself. These numbers are nothing stellar but represent a solid start in the right direction. If you can perform to the above standard, you have not arrived anywhere. You’ve merely picked yourself up off the floor. An untrained person should be able to achieve this level of strength in 2 to 6 months.
Now let’s move on to what is a more optimal level of strength that still anyone could achieve. A person with what I would call a “good” base level of strength can perform 1 rep of the following exercises: back squat 1.5 times bodyweight, bench press 1 times bodyweight, deadlift 1.75 times bodyweight, overhead press 75% of their bodyweight, and perform at least 5 chin ups. To put some actual numbers on these lifts, let’s again base them off our subject who weighs 180 lbs. At that bodyweight, the aforementioned lifts would total as follows: back squat – 270 lbs., bench press – 180 lbs., deadlift – 315 lbs. and overhead press – 135 lbs. This is a very good base level of strength. It is still nothing special, but it represents about 6 to 12 months of training for most people.
This strength level will materially improve one’s day-to-day quality of life. At this level of strength, day-to-day activities are noticeably easier. This subject is well on their way to becoming legitimately strong by comparison to the average person as well as far more resilient to injury and the wear and tear of everyday life on earth. For most people, this level of strength will be perceived as optimal, and it may well be. Still, a significantly higher level of strength could be achieved with continued and consistent training; however, in my experience, most people will find training beyond this level to require more grit and determination than they are comfortable with.
For those who will rise to the occasion, let’s explore a little further what would be considered legitimately strong if a person were to continue their training for another 6 to 12 months. In other words, if the average person were to train for 18 to 24 months total, with no prior experience, it is reasonable for that person to perform 1 rep of the following exercises: back squat twice their bodyweight, bench press 1.5 times their bodyweight, deadlift 2.25 times their bodyweight, overhead press 1 times their bodyweight, and perform at least 10 consecutive chin ups. Basing these numbers on a 180 lb. person, the actual weights lifted are as follows: back squat – 360 lbs., bench press – 270 lbs., deadlift – 405 lbs., and overhead press 180 lbs.
This level of strength still does not represent a person with a specialty in strength training. This level of strength is truly achievable by the average guy or girl who simply stays the course and continues to follow an intelligently designed training plan. Some gifted people may achieve this level of strength in 12 months or slightly less, while yet others who may not be as gifted will still achieve these results but may take a bit longer than average to do so. This level of strength is exceptional relative to the general population; however, this is still not what would be considered an exceptional level of strength as far as the average human potential is concerned. Altogether to achieve this level of strength is admirable, a worthwhile goal, and a firm contribution to optimal wellness.
For the sake of exhausting this list of standards and to satisfy the morbid curiosity of some reading this, let’s take this one step further and discuss what is an exceptional level of strength – a level of strength that would be found in the smallest percentage of the population, and typically present among only competitive strength athletes. If we run our program out for years longer, the adherents would no longer be novice strength trainees nor early intermediate level trainees. They would instead fall squarely into the intermediate and advanced level trainees.
At this level, a lifter would be able to perform the following exercises for one rep: back squat 2.5 times bodyweight or more, bench press 2 times bodyweight or more, deadlift 3 times bodyweight or more, overhead press 1.5 times bodyweight or more, and be able to perform 20 or more consecutive chin ups. Once again, based off a 180 lb. lifter, the actual numbers are as follows: back squat – 450 lbs., bench press – 360 lbs., deadlift – 540 lbs., and overhead press – 270 lbs. This represents a truly impressive level of strength by any standard. This level of strength represents someone who has committed many years to consistent training and spent many hours under the bar, often training 4 times per week or more.
Impressive though it may be, I couldn’t make a case that this level of strength would materially improve a person’s day-to-day quality of life. This level of strength is achievable by many, but seldom pursued to this extent except by the most dedicated people who truly love the strength sports for their own sake and not merely as a means to an end. It is not the purpose of this article to encourage anyone toward this advanced level of training. I have outlined it only for the purpose of entertainment and to provide some context to what else has been written about here.
In summary, I hope you have been inspired to pursue improving your strength. With some objective standards in view, you should be able to establish where you are starting from and develop a set of goals to work toward. Should you need help with that, contact a qualified professional, such as the author of this article, who can ensure your safety and progress. An experienced coach can save you many years’ worth of figuring it out for yourself. Not only can a good coach teach you proper execution of the exercises and provide a solid plan, but they can also help identify and set realistic goals for each individual. I challenge you to get stronger and see if it doesn’t improve your everyday quality of life!