How Strong Should You Be? (Noob To Freak) 

I thought I was a beginner, but it turns out I am an early/mid intermediate by these standards. Speaks to how much social media makes it seem like everyone and their mother is out there moving crazy weights all over the place.

I’m probably in the beginner stages still, but I’m proud of the progress I’ve made and that’s all that matters to me. I think people need to be more positive about their progress.

When this video first came out I was an intermediate lifter. Now 2 years later I'm advanced. It takes years but if you work hard and stay consistent you can do it too.

Thank you so much for this video! I was trying to see how realistic my progress is and I was quite disappointed in my progress but I seem to be on track. I’m 28M 235lbs at the moment started jogging/gym using machines about 5months ago. Just started doing free weights 2 weeks ago and tried 1 rep maxes at my friends place last night. I did a half marathon last month with 19mins/mile 😂, deadlift 270, squat 155, I didn’t test bench but I do 3x10 at 95lbs. I appreciate it to know that I’m on track 😊

Editing skills: Freak

I can only imagine how much time you spent key framing all the movements in this. Top-notch work as always, Jeff!

This gives me hope, thank you. I recently got back into lifting after nearly a decade off I had 4 good years of lifting under me previously. A month in and I'm in beginner or intermediate depending on the lift. I'm glad to know that although I've obviously lost some strength, not all hope is lost.

Since watching this video 1 year ago ive officially crossed from a mid level intermediate to a low level advanced. ALL THANKS TO JEFFS VIDEOS. THANKYOU SO MUCH

Wow these standards are spot-on!! Definitely the best video I've seen on on this subject since you addressed bodyweight, absolute numbers that set the bar high, programming tips for different categories, and legitimate timeframes for real naturals. Truly well presented Jeff, I couldn't have put it better myself 💯🔥 🔥🔥

Clearing up a common critique of my standards: "The standards for women seem a bit low, especially for the bench press." There could be a few things going on here. First, keep in mind that I ultimately set up these categories (advanced, elite, “freak”, etc.) for the masses, i.e., a general lifting population. While I did lean on data from powerlifting competitions, I did this mainly to extrapolate those competitive results into general recommendations for the broadest array of lifters possible. One of the difficulties I had in setting up the standards was accounting for the fact that the ratios start to run away at the highest levels of competition, especially for lighter weight classes. For example: the current world bench press record in the women’s 52 kg (114 lb) weight class is 113 kg (248 lbs). That’s a 2.1x bodyweight bench!! “Ok - so maybe the Freak tier should be somewhere closer to 2x, right? Surely it shouldn’t be as low as 1.25x if the record is 2.1x?” Well, consider that in the 76 kg (167 lb) weight class - which is a middle to light-heavy weight type of weight class -- 26% competitors (4/15) at Worlds this year DID NOT EXCEED a 1.25x bodyweight bench press. When 4 of the top 15 strength athletes ON EARTH do not exceed a 1.25x bodyweight bench, that doesn’t make it seem “too low” for a “freak” categorization to me. I can see how it may seem generous to those who are truly elite (and humble about it), but I don’t think it’s too low overall. Okay, but what about lower weight classes? Well, this year in the lightest female weight class at IPF Worlds (47 kg/103.4 lbs), the highest bench:bodyweight ratio was 1.77x and the lowest was 1.17x. In the lightest weight class there is (at Worlds!) there were still competitors who didn’t reach freak status. This doesn’t sound like I’ve set the standards too low to me. To play Devil’s advocate - maybe I could have gone as high as 1.5x? But then the majority of world-level lifters would not be considered freaks. That doesn’t seem right to me. Maybe I could have gone somewhere in the middle (let’s say, 1.35x for the freak tier). Maybe. But one thing I should mention is that I really wanted to give standards as reasonably “round” figures. For me, this meant that they would be delivered in increments of 0.25. I had two reasons for this: 1. Presenting the standards in more precise increments (ex: 1.30x or 1.37x) would give the impression that the standards are less arbitrary than they actually are. To set the tiers at 1.37x or 3.14159x makes it seem like there is more algorithmic back-end math going on than there actually is. My standards are ultimately arbitrary. As I said in the video, they are based on my coaching experience, existing scales from high-level strength coaches and powerlift event results and records. For what it’s worth, I did have the strength scales peer-reviewed by some people with closer ties to strength sports than me. Still, they aren’t objectively calculable enough to warrant a level of precision beyond quarter increments in my eyes. 2. Chunking the standards like this was a bit of a stylistic preference for communication purposes. People are able to remember nice round numbers more easily and often find them easier to follow. If I had gone with more precise/less round figures, I worry that the people I am ultimately trying to reach would get bogged down in a level of meticulousness that wasn’t built into the scales to begin with. I said in the video that the numbers do break down a bit at high bodyweights (skew against you) and they also break down a bit at low bodyweights (skew in your favor) but knowing this wouldn’t make me adjust the numbers. Besides, I did factor this in on the front end by making the ranges as broad as I reasonably could. Of course, it’s impossible to capture every single lifter accurately, since the scales are inherently general, but I think they do a very good job overall. One thing that I think is going on with all the levels, is that people are exposed to a lot of insane, outlier lifters on social media. The most impressive lifts get the most traction and these are the ones we see the most. This doesn’t mean they are the most common, or even common at all. This may be skewing your perception of my scales to some extent. If you ranked highly, be proud! You’re doing awesome! If you ranked lower than you expected, use that as motivation to keep improving and becoming your best, strongest version of yourself that you can be! Hopefully this helps clear up some of that confusion! Also, I do think that this criticism is totally understandable, and I had anticipated it coming before uploading, so rest easy knowing I had considered this beforehand and still stand with the numbers as they are. Appreciate the feedback as always guys!! -Jeff

Man, thanks for the confidence boost. I’m on the low end of advanced with my squat and bench, and mid advanced on my deadlift. Don’t consider myself a powerlifter but I still enjoy lifting heavy.

Solid video! By your standards I reached "Advanced" on Squat (low-bar, below parallel 360x1 @ 190 BW) and deadlift (convention 450x1 @ 190 BW) and a middle-of-the-road "Intermediate" on bench (255x1 paused @ 190 BW) in just over a year. Felt great to make fast progress in the first 12 months, but boy do the gains take a lot more to squeeze out now, especially bench. Some of the programming literature out there makes my head spin and caused me to run in place with my approach for a little while. I appreciate the many videos you've rolled out simplifying a lot of the science.

This really made me feel better about my lifts. On social media you almost exclusively see elite/freak athletes and it almost seems like that stuff is normal, nice to be reminded that it‘s not.

Been seriously at bench press for 4 years and still improving every other workout. Started with 100lbs, Currently 360 for 8 reps at 200lbs, and 90 pushups in a row

i thought i sucked as im quite small but as a 135 pound man at 5'11 i was able to put up 135 on my first time benching, wanting to gain some weight in general so I hope I can keep improving along with it!

I am glad I watched this video. I am on the low side of a beginner lifter (7 months of training) but I almost have a 1x bench press (5lbs off) I have a 1.5x deadlift and a 1.05x squat (I recently started hitting squats previously I didn’t have the equipment). Thank you for the video Jeff you made me feel good about my weightlifting journey.

The main thing people need to remember, aside from those actually competing, is that measuring your own strength need only be relative to yourself. What was your strength when you first started? This is your initial measurement standard. Also, your age, genetics, training time, injury history, bodyfat and other life factors all play into it. Keep lifting and progressing, kings and queens.💪 Just try to beat the you of yesterday. And even if you don't, show up tomorrow and try again.

Im forever intermediate and I'm fine with that, as my goal is just to look good and feel healthy. It was never a dedicated intensive hobby for me

This is insane my view of my strength was way skewed I’m starting off in the advanced stage for women with less than 7 months of training, on every powerlifting lift. And that’s all self taught so far, this is so intriguing to me

We are currently nearing the end of month 1 of training. I'll be setting some new official PRs soon with the help of some of my friends who have been doing this for much longer than I have. So far I know my PR on deadlift was 275lb mid way through this month and my last PR on bench is 135 at the start of the month. I never set a PR on squats. Sadly, I am a pretty high BF% and weigh 230lb, but I am not all too worried about getting shredded right now and not have muscles to show for it. Strength comes first for me.

I cannot thank you enough for acknowledging the existence of women in all of your work. It is so rare. I understand the research is done primarily on men (which is it's own issue), so finding reliable information as a female in science based fitness can be very hard. All the more appreciated! As a 50 kg woman it's also nice to know that I've entered intermediate territory. The numbers can feel so low compared to the big guys and gals, I forget how much stronger I got already. :)

I have quite odd genetics (which I knew before, but this points it out further). I have been lifting inconsistently for a few years now, and I have done squat, bench and deadlift for the same amount of time. Despite that, my bench is still at 75kg (nooob level) while I can deadlift 210kg (advanced). On deadlift I make progress even if I only lift once every 2 weeks, while on bench I get stuck unless I train at least twice a week. I am 188cm and 91kg (6`2 and 200 pounds) and also I have massive legs but pretty small arms. Might also be a result of me being a runner and a regular cyclist in the past!

Thank you for this video nice to have a decent average comparison and goals to reach to get to new categories, works well with my gamer mind. I'm happy I have got to the intermediate strength in 9 months, and this has giving me physical goals other than reaching 180 lbs body weight, I hope I have it in me to get to elite level but I'm worried about when my noob gains finish. Love your videos btw.

This video changed my view around my genetics and how strong I am. I always thought I am at an intermediate level, considering what we see all over social media. But I am actually at advanced level, in my first year of lifting, which makes me want to push harder to see what I am capable of in the years to come. I always thought I had shit genetics, and I always felt bad about it, this video motivated me a lot. I don’t think I will ever get to freak level, I don’t think I have the genetics for that,(especially after the dude he showed as an example, dude is an alien) but I really wanna hit elite level in next 2-3 years.

1.75 squat , 1.19 bench , 2.12 deadlift. Hoping to improve massively over 23. Best of luck to everyone!

Competing anytime soon? I'd love to see you crush that bench record.

I've been going consistently for the last year (after exercise on and off for 5 years) I'm going to keep getting stronger and I'm ready to get the numbers for the big 3 compounds up. Currently I can do my bodyweight on all 3 which is good tho. We all got this! Keep going everyone!

I've been lifting for 2 years and had to take a long break for a back surgery at the age of 16. I am still 16 and have only been back for about 4 months and have a 1.6x bench, 2.3x deadlift and a 2.2x squat all at 145lbs body weight. I love the faces I get at the gym for bench, I am doing 220 for 3 reps

I really needed to hear this. I was weighing in at 72kg with a personal best bench of 100kg (7 Months of working out at around 5-6 gym sessions a week) and I'd hit a wall with my growth and became extremely depressed and body conscious, I've actually been afraid to go back to the gym because of this paralysing fear of failing. Seeing someone put numbers and times to it all and seeing that I was doing a lot better than I had convinced myself has genuinely given me food for thought.

I’m one of those lifetime intermediate lifters. Simply shining a light on this honestly helped me understand I need to commit to a new plan. What worked once before doesn’t work anymore.

intelligent planning, consistency, and dedication. What an insight

Wow, i thought i was bad at strength but I've been training for 1 year and some months and rep out fo 3-6 range my level, thank you jeff for this type of videos

Damn and I always thought I was lagging behind in strength or wasn’t as strong as others. I hit intermediate numbers my first year. We’re our own worst critic. Count your blessings.

I'm one of those 'lifetime intermediates' you mentioned. I've gone through literally 5 cycles of high-beginner to high-intermediate over the past 10 years. I seem to plateau somewhere around 1.75x-2x BW squat and deadlift, which would be fine, but around then I usually start to accrue minor injuries (usually lower back, and now, inflamed AC joint so bench is out too) that totally throw me off. I'm honestly considering just accepting that compounds aren't for me and sticking with machines so I can actually stay fit 365 days a year and not repeatedly de-train like this.

Thanks Jeff, I have been lifting for around 9 months and have been going hybrid with calisthenics for the past 2 months. I have gotten to the point where I am almost graduating the intermediate stage and hitting advanced stage. I have a 1.39x bench, a 2.12 squat, and a 2.48 deadlift all at 155lbs. I am really proud of myself, and you let me know what my potential can clearly be. Have a good day if you are reading this.

Im on intermediate when im lifting for one year and 3-5 months, so i think im not that bad in this. Thank you so much, SO GREAT VIDEO!

Interesting. I assumed I was a noob on all lifts but I’m actually heading for beginner status with my bench at 105lbs. Sweet!

Considering I’ve been training for only 4 years I’m glad to see I’m on the upper end of Advanced. I’ve loved the process through and through and I genuinely didn’t expect to be on that scale.

He mentioned the key from getting out of intermediate to advanced, but I stuck with the intermediate style of training and reached what he calls "Elite" numbers. I think just consistent effort is the key.

This is cool to see. I’m 31 and have been casually lifting since college while picking up activities like rock climbing and Jiu Jitsu. I recently started taking lifting extremely seriously for the first time over the last 12 months and am currently at intermediate to advanced. At BW 185 my squat is 300, my bench is 285 and my deadlift is 425. Good luck on the gains everyone!

Finally got out of the noob zone after 4 months of consistent training. Man these main lifts give me anxiety but it feels good to set new records and improve.

Hey guys! I'm curious -- which category does your current strength level land you in? Noob? Beginner? Intermediate? Advanced? Elite? Or Freak? It's Advanced-Elite for me. Time to keep pushing!

Jeff I really appreciate this video. I just started doing this seriously 6 months ago and have always thought I had below average to shitty genetics. But i can see I'm pretty much progressing as expected.

Awesome. Thanks for sharing this!

As a woman who took a break from powerlifting during to COVID and life situation, the stats in this video are really reassuring! I love how this video recognizes not only the strength curve differences between females and males, but between individuals due to their own genetics. So much thought went into this video

This is really helpful to people with naturally lower body weights who feel like beginners compared to heavier people at the gym. If I’m deadlifting 2x my body weight, I’m not a beginner :)

Amazing Guide Jeff!!

11:10 Taylor’s little joyous hop right there says everything that needs to be said.. Being able to jump that high with NO need to bend shows us how ludicrously strong his fast twitch fibers and tendons are.

Sometimes I feel down on my lifts especially seeing all the freaks on social media, but man did this video give me a massive boost in confidence. 180lb bodyweight and my maxes for bench are 225, and squat is 350 after a year and a half of lifting. Unfortunately a lower back issue has ended deadlifting for me but before that I was able to hit 395 once. Really appreciate videos like this.

Really insightful… and disheartening at the same time 😝

I just hit 315 bench press in two years exactly. Started with a 135 bench. My OHp is 215. It was 65 lbs when I stared. Thanks Jeff for all of the knowledge which helped me get here.

im ngl those strength to body weight ratios were insane man. you're a beast my guy

So good to see that the past 5 years I’ve been working out haven’t been for nothing. I’m on the beginning stages of Advanced and it just gave me a new kick in the ass to push harder

Jeff's advices have led to the most effective exercises I have ever done (and most excruciating), but results speak for themselves. I did calisthenics and bodyweight exercises mostly, but I have found these extra tips of his for these types of exercises to be far more effective and satisfying to me personally than any painful occasions before that in the gym. In the process I took amuscle gain plan from Dietarize, and without any additional supplements needed, my muscles started to grow massively over the last two months. Thank you Jeff for all the work you have done over the years.

119 lb 5’1” female here. Been lifting for 2+ years, just turned 40. Current 1RM: Bench 114, Squat 172, Deadlift (sumo) 238. However with my bench with my working sets I’m stuck in the 70-80s, and squat I pulled back and decided to work on my form. Most of my working sets in squat are 1x my body weight perhaps a bit more. PRs in each are 89, 153, 238. So my bench and squat are intermediate but my deadlift right now is probably advanced. It’ll be awhile before I can bench 119, squat 178, deadlift 267 (2.25x my current body weight of 119) Currently most proud of my deadlift, 2x my body weight!

This is actually really encoraging for me im in the intermediate range after starting the gym about 4 months ago tough tbf ive always worked on physical jobs since i was 14

This is something that isn't talked about enough! Good on you for being open about the major differences between athletes. Lots of people can be disheartened by seeing monsters with wild routines.

I’m genuinely surprised with me being in intermediate based on my lifts even though I’m training in the gym seriously for a couple of months only. (I did other sports before which probably influenced the result) Still, as someone who thought that I was fairly weak this definitely made me appreciate myself and the work I put in more.

I've been training the SBD for 3 months, keep in mind I've never trained for one rep max, I'm 14, and I've always thought I was behind on strength, but these standards gave me some new confidence. My bench is the weakest at 110 for 7 reps, squat is 200 for 6 reps, and my deadlift is 195 for 8. Considering I'm 150 pounds at 6'1 and only been training for 3 months is pretty good compared to these standards. Great video Jeff, love the channel.

I've been training seriously for about 6 months, and on-off for 2-3 years before that. I've got a heart condition and find that a limiting factor, too. My gym didn't have a smith machine until recently, and for personal reasons I only train alone at 3am, so I kinda struggled to safely push myself with the squat and bench, lest I crush myself and noone finds me till morning. Beginner bench at about 0.9xBW, noob-beginner squat at 1xBW, and advanced deadlift at 1.75x BW. The freedom to push myself on the deadlift has helped a lot, letting the lift shoot up compared to the others, and now that there's a smith machine I can hopefully safely push my limits on the others. :)

I'm 22y 80kg, after finally stepping in the gym for the first time in my life about 1 and a half months ago its the best decision I have ever made. I tried bench recently for the first time and I found I can bench 55kg about 3 reps before needing to rest for a sec. It is so much fun trying new exercises and researching this stuff as well as seeing clear progression. If I could I would gym everyday but realistically 3 times a week is the most optimal for me.

At age 31, I've basically been intermediate since after college. During college, I peaked at a few advanced numbers but a couple injuries to my back and neck during college have prevented me from psychologically being willing to break PRs, but I've matured (or aged) over the years into being truly content that I can lift high numbers at the intermediate level pain-free. At the same time, I think my goals have changed a lot to be much more cardio-centric. Lots endurance training balanced with strength prevents me from achieving higher levels of strength since increased musculature, or rather, size of the muscle cell, inversely correlates with mitochondrial (aerobic) efficiency; not to mention, heavier bodyweight becomes quickly counter-productive to endurance performance.

Respect brother ❤

This makes me feel better. Been lifting for less than 6 months and I'm almost to the intermediate on my bench. Probably 2 months and I'll be there.

I hope you can do another training session with AlphaDestiny, that collab you guys had a while back was quite fun.

glad you did this, a lot of people progress differently. I found myself in the middle of how long it should take for each stage. Granted I don’t train as much and as hard as I possibly could. But I really appreciate just how honest and realistic this progression is. Good video!

about a year and a half in of training (had two breaks of 6 weeks and one of three months due to a lot of travel, so all up probably a year of consistent training) im about 80kg (1x) bench, (1.5x) 120kg deadlift and (1.31x) 105kg squat at 80kg, 5 foot 10. Started at like 45kg bench, 70kg deadlift, 50kg squat. Thankyou for confirming that i am pretty much bang on track. :)

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my fitness journey. I'm a 34-year-old natural power builder from Argentina, standing tall at 183 cm, weighing 93kg (15.5% BF), been erratically hitting the gym since I was 14, but got serious in April 2019. I've been dedicated to Jeff's Upper-Lower training program for over 4 years now, and it's done wonders for me. My stats: SQUAT - 190kg (2.04 times BW), BENCH - 150kg (1.61 times BW), DEADLIFT - 225kg (2.42 times BW). And that puts me on the low end of the advanced tier. Huge thanks to Jeff for his amazing program. If you're serious about training, I can't recommend his program enough. It's been a game-changer for me. Cheers!

Really insightful

According to this I'm at least doing better than I thought I was after 3 years of serious/consistent lifting. Squat and Deadlift are both Advanced and Bench is Elite! I really appreciate you adding a reference range for women as well. Most similar videos only focus on men which is not as helpful to me as a small female. Love your content!

Happy to be elite at 50 ( gym lift ) stiff bar Deadlift at 181 plus 251k Deadlift 54 years old at 195 at World Champs, keeps me motivated 👍🏻

After 3 years of training. I'm about 2.9 -3 times my 93 Kg body weight in Squats and deadlift respectively, but about 1.7 in bench. And Instagram made me honestly believe that a lot of people did 3.5 - 4.5 times body weight in raw powerlifting and it's the standard. Thanks for the video.

Absolutely great video here, really helped to put things into perspective for me and makes me feel more confident in where I'm at. I've been pretty inconsistent with the gym, typically only going maybe once a week with a pretty sedentary job, mostly due to my night shift schedule making things harder than it should to fit in properly. Regardless of this I'm surprised I'm not in the noob category but much closer to a low intermediate/high beginner (1.36x squat, 0.9x bench, 1.6x DL). Granted I tend not to do progressive overload training, which I really should be getting into now to see how it effects my strength especially in my weakest lift. Keep up the phenomenal work!

Thank you for this video. It made me realize how weak my bench press. I’m way behind, probably a lot to do with a surgery I had. It affected my chest the most. And I have long arms. So! I’ll prioritize bench press and I look forward to see what happens! (I really like your channel and you’ve done much for me. Your content is helpful, chill and necessary for a “healthy” way of how we “should” look at health.)

I've been training for 5 months and I started in the beginner and now I'm on the high end of intermediate, looking forward for advanced this year

I don't do bench, squat or deadlift due to previous injuries. But this is what I do. I genuinely don't know what category I'd be considered. I'm 6'1 and and weigh 195lbs. Preacher curl - 120lbs 6rx5s French press - 120lbs 6rx5s Hammer curls - 55lbs 6rx5s Rope cable triceps extension - 195lbs 6rx5s Seated leg press - 395lbs 6rx5s Seated Quad extension - 250lbs per leg 6rx5s Hamstring curls - 170lbs 6rx5s Standing calf raises - 600lbs 16rx5s Standing ab rollouts - 10rx4s Back extensions - 55° with 110lbs dumbell 6rx5s Free weight abdominal leg raises 20rx4s Decline straight backed sit-ups - 10rx5s while holding 55lbs dumbell over head Straight armed muscle ups - 10rx5s Dual cable chest press - 360lbs 6rx5s Seated compound row - 200lbs per arm at 6rx5s Chest fly - 265lbs 6rx5s This is a normal workout week for me currently.

Great video. It’s reaffirming to see that I’m right in the middle range of where I should be after 2.5 years of steady training. As humans we always compare ourselves to what other people are lifting and it can be demoralizing

Update: I've survived my first 7 months of lifting. Benched 135 lbs, Squated 215 lbs and deadlifted 275 lbs at 125 lbs BW. Jeff was my entry into how to do the gym. I intend to continue my push to 1/2/3 plates but will dial back the progression as my cycling season is fast approaching. I'll see ya'll next winter.

I am in the beginner category!!! Awesome. Thought i was noob so that is eye opening.

Currently 17. Being heavy is not fun. Im 113kg so I'm still techinically not even a beginner. My squat is 110kg~ (been a while since I've done it.) Chest is 90kg~ (haven't checked, just an estimate) Deadlift is 132.5kg. I have been training since 13, and I am hoping that when puberty ends, I'll get a lot stronger, and so these numbers will get better.

I trained calisthenics for 5 years and transitioned to primarily weights around a year ago. It's really interesting to see these numbers and the transferability of my strength. I'm in the intermediate stage ATM but still progressing as I get more comfortable with the lifts.

I wish I could be as strong as you one day, but I am still really fat and weak... Have been working out so hard recently though. Going to gym every other day, and I got great meal plan from Next Level Diet. I hope I will slim down fast so I can start with calisthenics. I believe in myself, that's the most important thing IMO.

man damn why are you videos so high qualtiy i only watched 2 and im amazed

I watched this video when it first came out, and review it occasionally to get perspective. It always makes me realize I'm a lot stronger then I thought.

wow, you got my EXACT range of beginner and starting intermediate: 2 years, exact numbers on squat (deep barbell) and deadlift (with a trapbar), but a tad higher on bench. I do 8 reps at the end of a 4 series per exercise, increasing 10 kg each time and decreasing 2 reps on each series. I had surgery for 2 herniated discs some years ago though.

Sweet! Haven’t lifted for about 5 years, but happy to see I’m already almost out of beginner phase after about 2 months back at it.

I always thought my numbers were bad but it turns out I went from beginner to intermediate in 8 months 👌 that’s pretty motivating

Jeff's programs are the only ones in the market I consider buying. He is more of a coach and lifting connoisseur than a fitness influencer.

I really appreciate this video. As someone who's been lifting consistently for ~3 years I struggle with having a negative outlook on my strength levels because I compare my strength and progress to other people. This video really helped me realize that I'm doing great for the amount of time I've put in.

Numbers are useful for tracking your progress. For a lot of people though it is tough not to get caught up in the numbers instead of evaluating what their goals are outside of numbers. Maybe you will chase down those elite totals and then realize you didn't really want to be in the gym that much and eat as much as you did or even weigh that much. As Jeff said for most people getting to advanced won't require a heavy sacrifice, but beyond that I would think carefully about what it is you are really chasing.

Ive been lifting for 3 months and this makes me happy af

ive been lifting for about 3 months and i have a 245 squat, 275 deadlift, and 165 bench. I'm 6'0 and 150lb so im pretty damn happy with the progress.

Another factor is rest. Without rest you won’t see gains. When you have young children in your house it is often hard to get the needed rest as they often wake up at night. Right now it is mainly my 3 year old that wakes up at night. Hopefully as he gets older he will be more like his siblings and stop waking up so much. Then maybe I can finally move from intermediate to advanced. Maybe then I can even get any older son into it too.

Im 17 and started lifting a few Months ago and weigh 140. My bench press is 180, squat 220, deadlift 265. Im kinda proud to be in the “intermediate” level already

this is great! I think it would be much better to have some sort of graph where you show how those expectations change based on height. For example, I'm 6'6", and I feel like even though my muscles are bigger than someone say, 6'0", I still feel like I'm at a huge disadvantage for a lot of lifts, simply because my limbs are longer, and the strenght/weight ratio affects me a lot. Maybe I'm jsut trying to give excuses though

I have always felt weak, but after watching this video, I feel better about myself. I recently hit my three year mark and according to these metrics I’m actually where I’m supposed to be, in a decent multiplier.

Thanks for the video Jeff. This helps a lot as I have been in the Intermediate lifer category for quite a while (5-8+ years in the category) watching others far surpass me and wondering what it was that contributed to it. Looking forward to planning with this in mind

i used to be an athelete until 5 yers ago playing basketball, after i got a knee injury i stoped. 3 month ago i got started at the gym since i was getting skiny at 188cm with only 72 kg and cuz of social media influence i had the idea i was really weak. So ty jeff now i know i dont really need to have a 100kg bentch at this point and also got to know that my 80kg bentch is good so im doing smth right :)

Advanced 2nd month in the gym. Proud

Let's goooo I am a beginner and I'm proud of going on the right track based on this useful video. Thank you Jeff!