How Much Should I Overhead Press for My Weight?

The overhead press is the lift that humbles everyone. Your bench and squat climb for months, and your press creeps up 5 lb at a time. So it helps to know what a good press actually looks like for someone your size.

This guide gives you overhead press targets for your bodyweight at every level, in pounds and kilograms. It also covers whether 135 is a good press, how to find your max without maxing out, and the press you need for each Liftly shoulder rank.

The short answer: for men, a strict standing overhead press of about 0.65× your bodyweight for one rep is a solid intermediate press, 0.8× is advanced, and pressing your own bodyweight is elite. For women, about 0.4× bodyweight is intermediate and 0.55× is advanced. Beginners usually start around 0.4× (men) and 0.2× (women).

Overhead press standards by bodyweight

Strength standards compare your one-rep max with your bodyweight. A 170 lb lifter who presses 115 lb has a ratio of 115 ÷ 170 = 0.68×.

The levels below are rounded rules of thumb that line up with what popular strength-standard sites show. They're not science, and every source draws the lines a little differently. They assume a strict standing barbell press: no leg drive, bar from the shoulders to lockout.

Notice how small the gaps are. On the squat, going from intermediate to advanced means adding about half your bodyweight. On the press, it's about 0.15× bodyweight, which is only 25–30 lb for most men. It still takes a long time, because the press is a small-muscle lift that grows slowly.

What's a good overhead press for my weight? (men, lb)

Find your bodyweight, then read across. Numbers are one-rep maxes, rounded to the nearest 5 lb.

Some quick reads:

• If you weigh 150 lb, 100 lb is a solid intermediate press and 120 lb is advanced.
• If you weigh 170 lb, about 110 lb is intermediate, and 135 lb (a 45 lb plate on each side) is advanced.
• If you weigh 200 lb, 135 lb is intermediate and 160 lb is advanced.

What's a good overhead press for my weight? (women, lb)

The empty Olympic bar weighs 45 lb (20 kg), and many beginners can't press it for clean reps at first. That's normal. Start with a lighter fixed barbell or dumbbells, and move to the bar when you can do 3 sets of 8 with good form.

Overhead press standards in kg

Men, rounded to the nearest 2.5 kg:

Women:

Is 135 a good overhead press?

Yes, for most men it's a very good press. 135 lb (61 kg) is one 45 lb plate on each side of the bar, the overhead version of the classic one-plate milestone. Here's what it means at different bodyweights:

The Liftly rank column assumes the overhead press is your only shoulder exercise. So a 135 press is advanced if you weigh 160 lb or less, a strong intermediate press up to about 200 lb, and a fair novice press above that. For a woman, 135 is past elite at any normal bodyweight.

In a kg gym, the one-plate press is a 20 kg bar with a 20 kg plate on each side: 60 kg, or 132.3 lb.

The overhead press you need for each Liftly rank

Liftly ranks every muscle from Newbie to GOAT, with tiers I–III inside each rank. Your shoulder score is your estimated one-rep max divided by your logged bodyweight, the same ratio as the standards above.

Here's the press you need to reach tier I of each rank if the overhead press is your only shoulder lift. Weights are rounded up to the next 5 lb or 2.5 kg, so hitting the number always gets you the rank.

If you log other shoulder exercises too, like dumbbell presses or lateral raises, Liftly blends them into one shoulder score. With 3 or more shoulder lifts, it takes 70% from your top three and 30% from the average of all of them, so your score reflects all your shoulder work, not one lift.

How the press compares with the bench in Liftly

Liftly's shoulder ranks need about 59–68% of the bodyweight ratio that the same chest rank needs from the 3rd rank (Apprentice) up. Pro chest starts at 1.42× bodyweight and Pro shoulders at 0.84×, for example. That lines up with a common rule of thumb: many lifters press roughly 60–70% of what they bench. If your press is well below that, your shoulders are probably the muscle with the most room to grow.

How to find your overhead press max without maxing out

A failed overhead press is less dangerous than a failed bench, but grinding singles still wrecks your form and recovery. You can estimate your max from a normal set with the Epley formula, the same one Liftly uses:

Estimated 1RM = weight × (1 + reps ÷ 30)

Here's 135 lb for reps:

Epley's formula counts even a single rep a little higher than the bar (135 × 1 works out to about 140 lb), so a single you log in Liftly can show up to one tier above the first row.

And if you're chasing your first 135 press, any of these sets means your estimated max is already 135 lb or more:

The formula works best for sets of about 3–10 reps taken close to failure. Above 10 reps it tends to overestimate your max.

The hard part isn't the math. It's remembering that you did 110 × 7 three weeks ago, so today's 110 × 8 counts as progress. On a lift this slow, one extra rep is the win.

Standing vs seated, barbell vs dumbbell

The standards above are for the strict standing barbell press. Other variations aren't directly comparable:

• Seated press: most lifters handle a bit more seated, because the bench takes away the need to brace your whole body. Compare seated numbers with your own seated log, not with standing standards.
• Push press: using your legs lets you move noticeably more. A push press is a great exercise, but it isn't a strict press for standards.
• Dumbbell shoulder press: harder to compare, because each arm works on its own and you have to balance two weights. If you train with dumbbells, track the weight of each dumbbell and aim to beat your own numbers.
• Machine shoulder press: machines vary a lot between brands, so the plate number doesn't transfer between gyms.

If you switch variations, log them as separate exercises. Mixing seated and standing sets in one history makes it look like you're getting weaker on standing days.

How to overhead press more

1. Press twice a week. One heavier day (sets of 4–6) and one lighter day (sets of 8–12) works well. Benching the same week is fine; the two lifts help each other.
2. Use double progression. Pick a rep range, like 6–8. When every set hits 8, add weight. Here's the full method: how to track progressive overload.
3. Take the smallest jumps you can. Adding 10 lb to a 95 lb press is a 10.5% jump. Adding 2.5 lb is 2.6%. If your gym doesn't have 1.25 lb plates, add reps instead of weight for a few weeks.
4. Keep it strict. Squeeze your glutes, brace your abs and keep the bar close to your face. A big backward lean turns it into an incline press and makes the numbers meaningless.
5. Train triceps and upper back. Close-grip bench, dips and rows support lockout and a stable base.
6. Log every working set. Small wins on the press are easy to miss without a written record.

For how the press stacks up against your other lifts, see how much you should bench for your weight.

FAQ

Is 135 a good overhead press?

Yes, for most men. At 160 lb bodyweight or less, 135 lb is 0.84× bodyweight or more, which is advanced. At 180–200 lb it's a strong intermediate press. For women, it's past elite at any normal bodyweight.

Is overhead pressing your bodyweight good?

It's elite. A strict bodyweight press is a 1.0× ratio, the common line for elite, and Elite II in Liftly's shoulder ranks. Most lifters who train for years never get there.

How much should a beginner overhead press?

Most men start around 0.4× bodyweight (about 70 lb at 180 lb) and most women around 0.2× bodyweight. Many beginners can't press the 45 lb bar for clean reps at first. Start lighter and add weight slowly.

Is a 100 lb overhead press good?

It depends on your weight. At 150 lb bodyweight it's 0.67×, an intermediate press. At 170 lb it's a novice press (0.59×), and at 190 lb it's 0.53×, just under novice.

How much should I overhead press compared to my bench?

A common rule of thumb is about 60–70% of your bench press. If you bench 225, a press of about 135–155 lb would fit that range. It varies with arm length and how much you train each lift.

What is a one-plate overhead press in kg?

135 lb is 61.2 kg. In a kg gym, the one-plate press is 60 kg (a 20 kg bar plus a 20 kg plate per side), which is 132.3 lb.