Barbell Squat vs Barbell Deadlift Strength Standards

Squat vs Deadlift Strength Standards by Bodyweight

Use these tables to compare the estimated one-rep max required for the squat and deadlift to reach the same strength level at each listed bodyweight. They show the targets used by the calculator—not a required difference between your squat and deadlift.

Choose the men’s or women’s table, find your bodyweight or the closest listed row, then read across to Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, or Elite. Every entry shows Back Squat / Deadlift, with pounds first and kilograms underneath. For a result based on your exact bodyweight and recent sets, use the calculator above; you do not need to test either true one-rep max.

Men’s Back Squat vs Deadlift Standards

How to read the table: The first number is Back Squat; the second is Deadlift. Each number is the lowest estimated one-rep max needed to reach that strength level. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.

Women’s Back Squat vs Deadlift Standards

How to read the table: The first number is Back Squat; the second is Deadlift. Each number is the lowest estimated one-rep max needed to reach that strength level. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.

How Your Squat vs Deadlift Result Is Calculated

The calculator estimates each max, rates it against the standards for that exercise and bodyweight, then compares the two ratings. Here is the complete process.

1. Estimate a one-rep max from each set

For one rep, it uses the weight entered. For 2–12 reps, it runs both formulas and keeps the lower, less aggressive estimate.

• Epley: weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)
• Brzycki: weight × 36 ÷ (37 − reps)

In a study of 32 Division I football players, the Epley estimate from a 3-rep back squat averaged 2.7 kg above the completed max, while the Brzycki estimate from a 5-rep back squat averaged 3.1 kg below it. This supports squat estimation under those study conditions; it does not independently validate deadlift estimates or every population. Estimates are more dependable from clean, difficult, lower-rep sets. See the Back-squat formula validation study and Published discussion of back-squat one-rep-max prediction research.

2. Find the squat strength level

The standards are based on OpenPowerlifting competition results recorded in January 2026 for lifters competing without lifting suits. It uses the table for your sex and bodyweight range. The four displayed levels begin at the 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th results out of every 100.

The source squat numbers are reduced by 10% for the high-bar, full-depth squat required by this calculator. The 10% reduction is a choice in Endura’s standards already used by the individual high-bar squat calculator. It is not an OpenPowerlifting correction or a universal research-derived conversion. It creates a conservative separation from competition results that can include different bar positions and squat styles. View the OpenPowerlifting source.

3. Find the deadlift strength level

The deadlift data uses lifters ages 18–39. Targets begin at 190 lb for men and 150 lb for women, then adjust to your exact bodyweight: reference target × (user bodyweight ÷ reference bodyweight) to the two-thirds power.

This two-thirds adjustment, also called allometric scaling, raises targets more slowly than bodyweight. Weighing 20% more raises the target about 13%.

4. Compare the two results

Each max receives a level from Beginner through Elite. The lower-level lift is the priority. If the levels match, a priority appears only when one lift is at least 10 points farther from its next level. Otherwise, the result is Balanced.

The result shows which lift ranks lower, not why. Technique, fatigue, training history, and set quality can affect it. Age range is recorded anonymously but does not change the standards.

Use the calculator above to see both estimated maxes, strength levels, the priority or Balanced result, and both next-level targets.

How Men’s Squat and Deadlift Standards Differ

How to read both charts: Choose a strength level, find bodyweight along the bottom, and follow that level’s line. Zero means the two standards are equal. Above zero means the deadlift standard is higher; below zero means the squat standard is higher. On a phone, swipe the chart left and right to inspect the full-size lines and labels. The tables provide the exact pounds and kilograms.

How to read the table: Every number is the deadlift standard minus the squat standard. A plus sign means the deadlift standard is higher. A minus sign means the squat standard is higher.

How Women’s Squat and Deadlift Standards Differ

How to read the table: Every number is the deadlift standard minus the squat standard. A plus sign means the deadlift standard is higher. A minus sign means the squat standard is higher.

Squat and Deadlift Exercises Used by This Calculator

This calculator uses a high-bar back squat and a conventional deadlift from the floor. A different squat style, shortened range of motion, or different type of deadlift can change the result enough to point you toward the wrong priority.

Use a high-bar back squat

The bar should rest on your traps. Lower until your hip crease passes below the top of your knee, then return to standing with your hips and knees straight. Do not use a low-bar, partial, box, pin, Smith-machine, or hack squat result. Sets performed with knee wraps, a squat suit, or other supportive equipment do not match these standards.

Use a conventional deadlift from the floor

Start every rep with the bar motionless on the floor and finish standing with your hips and knees straight. Do not bounce the bar, use touch-and-go reps, or hitch it up your thighs. Sumo and trap-bar deadlifts, rack and block pulls, Romanian and stiff-leg deadlifts, machine variations, and suited lifts do not match these standards.

Enter a recent set that represents your current strength

For each lift, enter the total barbell weight—including the bar and every plate—and a whole number from 1 to 12 reps. Pounds and kilograms can be mixed. A recent hard set with clean reps gives the calculator a more useful comparison than an old personal record or a set stopped far short of your normal effort.

Related Tools

• Barbell Back Squat Strength Standards — View the squat standards and exact target for your next strength level.
• Barbell Deadlift Strength Standards — View the deadlift standards and exact target for your next strength level.
• Front Squat Strength Standards — Compare another squat pattern with greater front-rack and upright-torso demands.
• Sumo Deadlift Strength Standards — Compare a different deadlift stance without mixing it into the conventional result.