Strength standards

How strength standards work

Strength standards express what's typical at each stage of training as a multiple of your bodyweight. A stronger person lifts more in absolute terms, but the fairest way to compare people of different sizes is relative to what they weigh — so a "1.5× bodyweight squat" means the same achievement for a 60 kg lifter and a 90 kg one. The levels run Beginner, Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Elite, and men's and women's figures differ because of real physiological differences in average strength.

Read this honestly

These numbers are approximate. Different reputable sources disagree by a fair margin, the ratios drift with bodyweight (lighter lifters tend to hit higher multiples), and they say nothing about how you got there or how old you are. "Elite" here means a very strong everyday lifter, not a national-record holder. Treat your result as a directional guide — a sense of where you stand and what's next — not a verdict on you. The point is the next rung, not the label.

Getting stronger, without wrecking your running

If these numbers made you want to add strength work, good — it makes you a more durable, more economical runner. The trick is fitting it around your running so the two don't blunt each other. Start with strength training for runners, learn to schedule both without the interference, and estimate your maxes with the one-rep max calculator. Curious how your running and lifting stack up together? Try the hybrid fitness score.

And if you'd rather not schedule the collision-avoidance yourself, that's the whole idea behind Liftrun: one adaptive plan for your running and your strength, that keeps a heavy leg day off the eve of a quality run.