Estimate your standing overhead press 1RM from any working set, then see how your strict press compares to strength standards for your body weight.
Your set
Weight lifted135 lb
lb
Reps completed5 reps
reps
Best accuracy comes from sets of 1–6 reps.
Estimated overhead press 1RM
Average across formulas
—lb
How does my overhead press compare?
Standards below apply to a strict standing overhead press for adult males. Female benchmarks generally run about 65% of the male values — a strong female overhead press is roughly 0.65× body weight. Push press numbers run 15–20% higher across the board.
Standards reflect typical 1RM in pounds at each body weight class. Individual ability varies — these are reference points, not strict cutoffs. Source: aggregated from Lon Kilgore's Practical Programming, ExRx, and StrengthLevel datasets.
Training Percentage Breakdown
Use these intensities to set working weights for any program calling for a percentage of your 1RM.
Tips for a bigger overhead press
Press, don't push press
A strict overhead press starts with the legs and core completely still. Any leg drive turns it into a push press, which is a different lift with different standards (~15–20% heavier than strict).
Build the core, not just the shoulders
Most pressing plateaus are core stability problems disguised as shoulder weakness. The bar pushes you backward; if your core can't resist, you lose the press before the shoulders fail. Heavy front squats and Pallof presses fix this.
Get the bar over your base
The press finishes with the bar directly over your ears, not in front of you. Lifters who finish with the bar forward of their head are pressing 5–10% less than they could with a vertical bar path.
Compare your other lifts
Strength standards differ across the major lifts. A "strong" overhead press is roughly 1.0× body weight, but the other lifts have their own benchmarks.
For sets of 1–6 reps, the calculator is typically within 2–5% of a true tested 1RM. Above 10 reps, accuracy drops because the underlying formulas were validated on lower rep ranges. Use a heavier set with fewer reps for the most reliable estimate.
Should I test my true overhead press 1RM?
Most strength coaches recommend against true 1RM testing more than once or twice a year. The calculator estimate from a heavy set of 3–5 is almost always close enough for programming purposes, with much lower injury and fatigue cost.
How often should I check my overhead press 1RM?
Most lifters re-run the calculator every 4–8 weeks using their heaviest top set. Weekly checks add noise without adding signal — strength gains in trained lifters happen over months, not days.
Are these standards realistic for me?
The standards reflect typical drug-free recreational lifters. Lifters with longer limbs, shorter limbs, or different leverages relative to their body weight will sit higher or lower than the table predicts. Use the standards as orientation, not as absolute targets.
What if I'm in between body weight classes?
Use linear interpolation between rows. A 180 lb male lifter is between the 165 lb and 198 lb rows — the realistic standard for that lifter sits roughly halfway between the two.