Deadlift standards at 120 kg
Where a 120 kg lifter sits across the five training- population bands for the deadlift. Numbers are 1RM estimates — not working sets. Both male and female columns below; pick the one that applies.
1RM standards (kg) at 120 kg bodyweight
| Band | Male | Female | ×bw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Untrained | 120 | 84 | 1.00× / 0.70× |
| Novice | 180 | 120 | 1.50× / 1.00× |
| Intermediate | 240 | 168 | 2.00× / 1.40× |
| Advanced | 330 | 222 | 2.75× / 1.85× |
| Elite | 390 | 270 | 3.25× / 2.25× |
Multipliers are ratio-of-bodyweight per ExRx training- population norms. Numbers in the male/female columns are 120 × the multiplier rounded to the nearest kg.
Cross-lift balance at 120 kg
Typical training-population ratios for a 120 kg lifter (StrengthMath methodology, practitioner consensus across NSCA Essentials + Practical Programming):
- Squat : deadlift — typically 1.2–1.5×
- Deadlift : OHP — typically 1.4–1.6× (deadlift divided by overhead press; OHP is the slowest of the four lifts to develop)
See the strength check calculator for the full balance report with your actual numbers.
Progression timeline (deadlift, 120 kg)
- Novice → Intermediate: 6–12 months on linear progression. Linear progression — 3-4 sessions/week, add 2.5 kg (or 5 lb) per session until it stalls. Eat enough.
- Intermediate → Advanced: 18–36 months. Periodization required — 4-5 sessions/week, weekly or monthly progression (5/3/1, DUP, conjugate). Linear adds stop working past this band.
Ranges sourced from Rippetoe Practical Programming + NSCA Essentials. Per-lift speed adjustment (squat fastest, OHP slowest) is StrengthMath methodology.
1RM reliability at 120 kg
A 120 kg male intermediate deadlift (240 kg) lifted at 5 reps projects to a 1RM of roughly 271 kg ± 3 kg (high-reliability range per LeSuer 1997 — formulas converge within ~±2% at ≤5 reps). At 8–10 reps the range widens to ~±5%; past 10 reps it gets noisy. Use the check calculator for your actual numbers + the four-formula breakdown.
Enter your weight × reps and get a percentile + reliability band + closing-the-gap timeline in one screen.