The strength standards on this page come from ExRx.net, which aggregated squat data from gym populations across North America over decades of observation. Each classification tier represents a real statistical threshold — not an aspirational marketing label. When ExRx marks a lift as "Intermediate," it means the lifter is performing at roughly the 60th percentile of people who train seriously with weights. "Advanced" reflects the top 20 percent. "Elite" captures the top 5 percent — a level that typically requires multiple years of structured programming and consistent progressive overload.

The figures are expressed as a ratio of your one-rep max squat to your bodyweight, which normalizes strength across different weight classes. A 185-lb male squatting 278 lbs (a 1.5× ratio) and a 140-lb male squatting 210 lbs (also a 1.5× ratio) are at the same Intermediate standard, even though the absolute weights differ by 68 lbs. This relative measure is why bodyweight-relative squat standards are more meaningful than absolute numbers when comparing across athletes.

One critical caveat: these standards assume a full-depth squat — hip crease at or below the knee, also called "parallel or below." A high-bar or low-bar squat both qualify, but partial-range squats (quarter squats, box squats above parallel) do not. If your current squat is a partial-range movement, your effective depth-adjusted 1RM will be lower than what you currently load on the bar. Depth first, weight second.

Female standards are set on a separate scale — not a fraction of male standards — because they reflect the actual distribution of squat strength among female lifters. A woman squatting 1.25× bodyweight has reached the Advanced classification and is stronger relative to her peers than many people assume is possible without elite-level training.