A deadlift standard reads your best pull against lifters of the same bodyweight and sex. The deadlift is usually the heaviest lift a person can do, so its bands sit highest of all, and the famous milestones, a 500-pound deadlift or a four-lift total in the 1000-pound club, are milestones precisely because of where they land in that distribution.
Why deadlift strength standards run highest
The deadlift standard runs higher relative to bodyweight than the squat or bench because the pull uses the whole posterior chain at once. A double-bodyweight deadlift is a widely used intermediate-to-advanced marker for men; reading your pull against your bodyweight row, rather than against a gym friend of a different size, is the only fair comparison.
What the 500 lb deadlift and the 1000 lb club milestones mean
A 500-pound deadlift and the 1000-pound club, a squat, bench and deadlift totalling half a ton, are round-number milestones that happen to sit in the advanced-to-elite range for average-sized men. They are meaningful because they are rare among people who do not train seriously, not because the numbers themselves are special.
Deadlift weight for women: read from its own column
The deadlift standard for women is read from its own table, because average muscle mass differs. A deadlift weight for women that lands in the intermediate band is a different absolute number from a man's, and both are read against their own bodyweight and sex rather than a single mixed figure.
Questions people ask about deadlift standards
What is a good deadlift?
A good deadlift is usually the intermediate band for your bodyweight and sex; for men a double-bodyweight pull is a common and demanding intermediate-to-advanced target.
Is a 500-pound deadlift good?
A 500-pound deadlift sits in the advanced-to-elite range for most bodyweights and is rare among people who do not train seriously, which is why it is a celebrated milestone.
What is a good deadlift weight for a woman?
Read the deadlift standard from the women's table at your bodyweight; an intermediate pull there is a strong, achievable target and a different absolute number from the men's column.
How much should I deadlift for my weight?
Read the deadlift standard at your bodyweight and sex rather than against a gym friend of a different size; for men a double-bodyweight pull is a widely used intermediate-to-advanced marker, and the fair next goal is one band above where you sit now.