Machine Shoulder Press Strength Standards
Use these machine shoulder press standards to compare your weight lifted with other lifters. The tables break performance into beginner, novice, intermediate, advanced, and elite levels, with separate comparisons by bodyweight, age, and sex where available.
Calculate Your Machine Shoulder Press Strength Level
Enter your sex, bodyweight, age, and machine shoulder press one-rep max to estimate your strength level and approximate percentile.
Percentiles are approximate and are interpolated between the Beginner (5th), Novice (20th), Intermediate (50th), Advanced (80th), and Elite (95th) benchmarks shown on this page.
Male Machine Shoulder Press Standards
Male Machine Shoulder Press Strength Standards
| Strength Level | Weight |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 50 lb |
| Novice | 100 lb |
| Intermediate | 160 lb |
| Advanced | 235 lb |
| Elite | 325 lb |
Male Machine Shoulder Press Standards by Bodyweight Ratio
| Strength Level | Bodyweight Ratio |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 0.25x |
| Novice | 0.50x |
| Intermediate | 1.00x |
| Advanced | 1.50x |
| Elite | 2.00x |
Male Machine Shoulder Press Standards by Bodyweight
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb | 95 lb | 150 lb | 215 lb |
| 120 lb | 30 lb | 60 lb | 105 lb | 165 lb | 235 lb |
| 130 lb | 35 lb | 70 lb | 120 lb | 180 lb | 250 lb |
| 140 lb | 40 lb | 80 lb | 130 lb | 195 lb | 265 lb |
| 150 lb | 45 lb | 85 lb | 140 lb | 205 lb | 280 lb |
| 160 lb | 55 lb | 95 lb | 150 lb | 220 lb | 295 lb |
| 170 lb | 60 lb | 100 lb | 160 lb | 230 lb | 310 lb |
| 180 lb | 65 lb | 110 lb | 170 lb | 240 lb | 325 lb |
| 190 lb | 70 lb | 120 lb | 180 lb | 255 lb | 335 lb |
| 200 lb | 75 lb | 125 lb | 190 lb | 265 lb | 350 lb |
| 210 lb | 85 lb | 135 lb | 195 lb | 275 lb | 360 lb |
| 220 lb | 90 lb | 140 lb | 205 lb | 285 lb | 370 lb |
| 230 lb | 95 lb | 145 lb | 215 lb | 295 lb | 385 lb |
| 240 lb | 100 lb | 155 lb | 225 lb | 305 lb | 395 lb |
| 250 lb | 105 lb | 160 lb | 230 lb | 315 lb | 405 lb |
| 260 lb | 110 lb | 165 lb | 240 lb | 325 lb | 415 lb |
| 270 lb | 115 lb | 175 lb | 245 lb | 330 lb | 425 lb |
| 280 lb | 120 lb | 180 lb | 255 lb | 340 lb | 435 lb |
| 290 lb | 125 lb | 185 lb | 260 lb | 350 lb | 445 lb |
| 300 lb | 130 lb | 190 lb | 270 lb | 360 lb | 455 lb |
| 310 lb | 135 lb | 200 lb | 275 lb | 365 lb | 465 lb |
Male Machine Shoulder Press Standards by Age
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 45 lb | 85 lb | 135 lb | 200 lb | 275 lb |
| 20 | 50 lb | 95 lb | 155 lb | 230 lb | 315 lb |
| 25 | 50 lb | 100 lb | 160 lb | 235 lb | 325 lb |
| 30 | 50 lb | 100 lb | 160 lb | 235 lb | 325 lb |
| 35 | 50 lb | 100 lb | 160 lb | 235 lb | 325 lb |
| 40 | 50 lb | 100 lb | 160 lb | 235 lb | 325 lb |
| 45 | 50 lb | 90 lb | 150 lb | 225 lb | 305 lb |
| 50 | 45 lb | 85 lb | 140 lb | 210 lb | 285 lb |
| 55 | 45 lb | 80 lb | 130 lb | 195 lb | 265 lb |
| 60 | 40 lb | 70 lb | 120 lb | 175 lb | 240 lb |
| 65 | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 160 lb | 220 lb |
| 70 | 30 lb | 60 lb | 95 lb | 145 lb | 195 lb |
| 75 | 30 lb | 50 lb | 85 lb | 130 lb | 175 lb |
| 80 | 25 lb | 45 lb | 75 lb | 115 lb | 155 lb |
| 85 | 20 lb | 40 lb | 70 lb | 100 lb | 140 lb |
| 90 | 20 lb | 35 lb | 60 lb | 90 lb | 125 lb |
Female Machine Shoulder Press Standards
Female Machine Shoulder Press Strength Standards
| Strength Level | Weight |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 15 lb |
| Novice | 35 lb |
| Intermediate | 65 lb |
| Advanced | 105 lb |
| Elite | 155 lb |
Female Machine Shoulder Press Standards by Bodyweight Ratio
| Strength Level | Bodyweight Ratio |
|---|---|
| Beginner | 0.10x |
| Novice | 0.25x |
| Intermediate | 0.50x |
| Advanced | 0.75x |
| Elite | 1.05x |
Female Machine Shoulder Press Standards by Bodyweight
| Bodyweight | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 lb | 10 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb | 85 lb | 125 lb |
| 100 lb | 10 lb | 25 lb | 55 lb | 90 lb | 130 lb |
| 110 lb | 10 lb | 30 lb | 55 lb | 90 lb | 135 lb |
| 120 lb | 15 lb | 30 lb | 60 lb | 95 lb | 140 lb |
| 130 lb | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 100 lb | 145 lb |
| 140 lb | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 150 lb |
| 150 lb | 15 lb | 40 lb | 70 lb | 105 lb | 150 lb |
| 160 lb | 20 lb | 40 lb | 70 lb | 110 lb | 155 lb |
| 170 lb | 20 lb | 40 lb | 75 lb | 115 lb | 160 lb |
| 180 lb | 20 lb | 45 lb | 75 lb | 115 lb | 165 lb |
| 190 lb | 20 lb | 45 lb | 80 lb | 120 lb | 165 lb |
| 200 lb | 25 lb | 45 lb | 80 lb | 120 lb | 170 lb |
| 210 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb | 85 lb | 125 lb | 175 lb |
| 220 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb | 85 lb | 125 lb | 175 lb |
| 230 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb | 85 lb | 130 lb | 180 lb |
| 240 lb | 30 lb | 55 lb | 90 lb | 130 lb | 180 lb |
| 250 lb | 30 lb | 55 lb | 90 lb | 135 lb | 185 lb |
| 260 lb | 30 lb | 55 lb | 95 lb | 135 lb | 185 lb |
Female Machine Shoulder Press Standards by Age
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 15 lb | 30 lb | 55 lb | 90 lb | 130 lb |
| 20 | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 150 lb |
| 25 | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 155 lb |
| 30 | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 155 lb |
| 35 | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 155 lb |
| 40 | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 105 lb | 155 lb |
| 45 | 15 lb | 35 lb | 65 lb | 100 lb | 145 lb |
| 50 | 15 lb | 30 lb | 60 lb | 95 lb | 135 lb |
| 55 | 10 lb | 30 lb | 55 lb | 85 lb | 125 lb |
| 60 | 10 lb | 25 lb | 50 lb | 80 lb | 115 lb |
| 65 | 10 lb | 25 lb | 45 lb | 70 lb | 100 lb |
| 70 | 10 lb | 20 lb | 40 lb | 65 lb | 90 lb |
| 75 | 10 lb | 20 lb | 35 lb | 55 lb | 80 lb |
| 80 | 5 lb | 15 lb | 30 lb | 50 lb | 75 lb |
| 85 | 5 lb | 15 lb | 30 lb | 45 lb | 65 lb |
| 90 | 5 lb | 15 lb | 25 lb | 40 lb | 60 lb |
What the Strength Levels Mean
Beginner
Stronger than roughly 5% of lifters. This level represents someone who is still relatively new to the exercise but has practiced it consistently enough to develop proper technique. They understand the basic mechanics of the movement and can perform it with proper form and control through a full range of motion.
Novice
Stronger than roughly 20% of lifters. This level represents someone who has moved beyond the beginner stage and has trained the exercise consistently for around six months. They have developed reliable technique, greater control of the movement, and a foundation of strength that comes from regular practice.
Intermediate
Stronger than roughly 50% of lifters. This level represents someone with significant experience training the exercise, typically around two years or more. They have developed solid strength, consistent technique, and a strong understanding of the movement through sustained and progressive training.
Advanced
Stronger than roughly 80% of lifters. This level represents a highly experienced lifter who has spent several years consistently training and improving the exercise. They have developed a high level of strength and technical proficiency that generally requires more than five years of focused training to achieve.
Elite
Stronger than roughly 95% of lifters. This level represents an exceptionally strong and highly experienced lifter who has spent years developing the exercise to a very high standard. They rank among the strongest people performing the movement and have reached a level of strength that may be competitive in strength sports.
Related Strength Standards
These standards are comparative benchmarks, not requirements for safe or effective training. Individual performance can vary with technique, equipment, range of motion, training history, and testing conditions.