Overhead Press Strength Standards

Enter one set: we'll estimate your 1RM and rank it against real overhead press lifts logged on Gravitus, by bodyweight and gender.

What Is a Good Overhead Press?

A good overhead press for a 180 lb man is about 130 lb, the intermediate standard; for a 140 lb woman it is about 60 lb. Good is relative to bodyweight and sex, and the calculator below ranks your lift against real overhead press sets logged by lifters in the Gravitus app. The benchmark tables use allometric bodyweight scaling so you can compare fairly at any size.

What's the average overhead press? See the real numbers →

Learn proper overhead press form, muscles worked, and programming →

Calculate Your Overhead Press Strength Level

1RM estimated from your weight and reps with the Brzycki formula

How Men's Overhead Press 1RMs Are Distributed

Estimated one-rep max

Men: 25th percentile 99 lb · median 122 lb · 75th percentile 147 lb

Women: 25th percentile 44 lb · median 59 lb · 75th percentile 71 lb

The overhead press (OHP) is the premier test of upper body pressing strength and shoulder stability. Also called the military press or strict press, this lift builds impressive shoulder, tricep, and upper chest strength. These standards help you gauge your overhead pressing power compared to other lifters.

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Overhead Press Standards for Men (lbs)

Bodyweight (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate median Advanced Elite
120* 50 65 90 110 135
130* 50 70 95 115 140
140 55 75 100 125 150
150 60 85 110 130 155
160 65 90 120 140 165
170 75 100 125 145 175
180 75 105 130 155 180
190 75 105 130 160 185
200 75 105 135 165 190
210 75 110 135 170 200
220 75 110 145 175 205
230 75 110 145 180 205
240 75 110 145 180 220
250 75 110 145 185 220
260 75 110 145 185 220
270* 75 110 150 190 230
280* 80 115 155 200 235
290* 80 115 160 205 240
300* 85 120 165 210 245

Unmarked rows are computed from real Gravitus lifter data. * Estimated with allometric scaling, outside the bodyweight range with enough logged lifters.

Overhead Press Standards for Women (lbs)

Bodyweight (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate median Advanced Elite
100* 25 40 50 65 80
110 30 40 55 70 85
120 30 45 55 75 90
130 30 45 60 75 90
140 30 45 60 75 95
150 30 45 60 75 95
160 30 45 60 80 95
170 30 45 60 85 100
180 30 45 65 90 110
190 30 45 65 90 115
200 30 45 65 90 125

Unmarked rows are computed from real Gravitus lifter data. * Estimated with allometric scaling, outside the bodyweight range with enough logged lifters.

How These Standards Are Calculated

These standards are computed directly from workouts logged in the Gravitus app: the all-time best overhead press efforts of real lifters, converted to estimated one-rep max (1RM). Each level corresponds to a percentile among lifters in your bodyweight bracket: Beginner (5th), Novice (20th), Intermediate (50th), Advanced (80th), and Elite (95th). Brackets with fewer than 50 lifters are estimated with allometric scaling and marked as interpolated. Figures reflect lifters who share workouts publicly; extreme outliers are excluded.

Tips for Improving Your Overhead Press

To improve your overhead press: strengthen your upper back and core for stability, practice pin presses and Z-presses to build specific strength, ensure you're pressing the bar in a straight line over your head, use micro-loading (1-2.5 lb increments) since OHP progresses slowly, and add lateral raises and face pulls for shoulder health.

Strength Levels Explained

  • Beginner

    The strength level of someone who has recently started training. Achievable within the first few months of proper training.

  • Novice

    Represents early progress with consistent training. Most dedicated lifters reach this level within their first year.

  • Intermediate

    Above-average strength that represents consistent, dedicated training over multiple years.

  • Advanced

    Exceptional strength that far exceeds the average lifter. Requires years of dedicated programming and nutrition.

  • Elite

    Competitive-level strength representing the top 1% of lifters. May require favorable genetics to achieve.

Frequently Asked Questions

A good intermediate target for men is to press about 0.65-0.75x bodyweight. For a 180 lb man, that's roughly 115-135 lbs. For women, an intermediate OHP is about 0.4-0.5x bodyweight. The OHP is the weakest of the main barbell lifts for most people.

The OHP uses smaller muscle groups (deltoids, triceps) compared to bench, squat, or deadlift. It also requires significant core stability and has no stretch reflex at the bottom. Progress in 1-2.5 lb increments and be patient, adding 5 lbs per month is solid progress for intermediates.

No. These standards are for the strict overhead press only, no leg drive. Push press uses leg drive to initiate the lift and allows significantly more weight. If you're using push press numbers, they won't accurately compare to these standards.

More Strength Standards

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