Back Squat Standards
The squat rewards honesty more than any other lift, because depth is negotiable and most people negotiate. A squat to full depth, hip crease below the knee, is a completely different lift from the quarter squat that lets someone claim a much bigger number.
Judged at real depth, a bodyweight squat is a beginner mark, 1.5 times bodyweight is a solid intermediate squat, and 2 times bodyweight is the line into advanced. The standard below assumes you are squatting to depth. If you are not, the number will read high and mean little.
Enter what you lifted, for how many reps, and your bodyweight to see where you land.
Back Squat standards by bodyweight ratio
Each level as a multiple of your bodyweight. Multiply by your own bodyweight for your target, or use the calculator above to do it for you.
| Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| BeginnerA few months of practice | 0.75x | 0.54x |
| NoviceAround six months in | 1.25x | 0.90x |
| IntermediateOne to two years of consistent training | 1.75x | 1.26x |
| AdvancedSeveral years, competitive-adjacent | 2.25x | 1.62x |
| EliteCompetitive powerlifter territory | 2.75x | 1.98x |
Test it honestly
- Squat to at least parallel: the hip crease drops below the top of the knee. Film it from the side if you are unsure.
- Use the same bar position (high-bar or low-bar) you always train, since low-bar generally moves more weight.
- Test a heavy set of 1 to 5 reps. Deep singles are taxing, so do not max out cold or every week.
A squat that towers over your deadlift usually means one of the two is mistrained, often a squat cut high or a deadlift never trained hard. For most lifters the deadlift should sit above the squat, not below it.
Common questions
What is a good squat?
For a male lifter, squatting 1.5 times bodyweight to depth is a genuine intermediate mark, and 2 times bodyweight is advanced. For a female lifter those tiers land near 1.1 and 1.6 times bodyweight. Depth is the catch: these numbers assume a squat to at least parallel.
Is a 2x bodyweight squat good?
Yes. A 2 times bodyweight back squat to depth puts a male lifter at the advanced tier, which typically takes several years of consistent training. It is a number most recreational lifters never reach, not because it is impossible but because it demands patient leg training.
Why is my squat lower than my bench relative to standards?
Usually because benching gets trained hard and often while squatting gets avoided or cut high. Legs are half your muscle and respond well to volume, so a lagging squat is normally a training-priority problem, not a genetic ceiling.
Log your squat in Vora
Vora tracks your estimated one-rep max on the back squat every session, catches every PR, and applies progressive overload automatically. Free on iPhone and Android.
