Barbell Curl

Barbell Curl Standards (lb)

The average Barbell Curl is 99 lb for men and 54 lb for women (1RM). Compare your one-rep max lift by bodyweight and age below.

Male Barbell Curl Standards (lb)

Entire Community

Strength LevelWeight
Beginner42 lb
Novice67 lb
Intermediate99 lb
Advanced138 lb
Elite180 lb

How much should I be able to Barbell Curl? (lb)

What is the average Barbell Curl? The average Barbell Curl weight for a male lifter is 99 lb (1RM). This makes you Intermediate on Strength Level and is a very impressive lift.

What is a good Barbell Curl? Male beginners should aim to lift 42 lb (1RM) which is still impressive compared to the general population.

Barbell weights include the weight of the bar, normally 20 kg / 44 lb.

By Weight and Age

BWBeg.Nov.Int.Adv.Elite
11024426695128
120284772103137
130325278110145
140355684116152
150396189123160
160426594129167
170466999134173
1804973104140180
1905277109146186
2005581113151192
2105885118156197
2206188122161203
2306492126166208
2406795130170214
2507099134175219
26073102138179224
27076105142184228
28078109145188233
29081112149192238
30084115153196242
31086118156200246

How many sets and reps of Barbell Curl should I do?

These are the most popular Barbell Curl workouts done by male lifters:

3x1017%
3x811%
3x126%
2x86%
4x106%

Rate Your Lifts Against Other People

The Strength Level Calculator can show your exact level of strength at any bodyweight.

lb
lb
reps
years old

What do the strength standards mean?

Beginner Stronger than 5% of lifters. A beginner lifter can perform the movement correctly and has practiced it for at least a month.
Novice Stronger than 20% of lifters. A novice lifter has trained regularly in the technique for at least six months.
Intermediate Stronger than 50% of lifters. An intermediate lifter has trained regularly in the technique for at least two years.
Advanced Stronger than 80% of lifters. An advanced lifter has progressed for over five years.
Elite Stronger than 95% of lifters. An elite lifter has dedicated over five years to become competitive at strength sports.

Strength Level introduced these exact Beginner-to-Elite percentile boundaries in 2015. See how the standards evolved.

Data behind the Barbell Curl strength standards

Strength Level analysed 752,509 qualifying results from 2,565,545 community lifts to produce our Barbell Curl strength standards. We will continue to update them as more community data becomes available. See our standards timeline.

Community lifts 2,565,545
Qualifying results 752,509
Male results 686,253
Female results 66,256
Data start
Data cutoff

Qualifying results are retained after checks for implausible data, duplicates, and unusual or automated submission patterns. Learn more about qualifying results.

Related Body Size Standards

Biceps

Men 15 in Women 12 in

Bicep Size Standards (in)

1,980 user measurements 2022–2026