- The median deadlift for raw men at 120 kg is 546 lb (247.5 kg). Beat that and you out-lift half the class.
- Top 20%: 623 lb (282.5 kg). Top 10%: 661 lb (300 kg). Top 1%: 772 lb (350 kg).
- A 2× bodyweight deadlift is a common intermediate milestone; 2.5× is strong; 3× is competitive at the national level in most classes.
Deadlift Percentiles — 120 kg Raw Men
The 120 kg class covers men weighing 105–120 kg (231–265 lb). These percentiles are computed from 96,636 raw (belt, sleeves, and wrist wraps only — no knee wraps, no supportive suits or shirts) competition results in the OpenPowerlifting database. Remember that everyone in this dataset trained hard enough to enter a meet, so the 20th percentile here is already well above the average gym-goer.
| Percentile | Lbs | Kg | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5th percentile | 375 lb | 170 kg | Novice |
| 10th percentile | 413 lb | 187.5 kg | Novice |
| 20th percentile | 463 lb | 210 kg | Intermediate |
| 30th percentile | 496 lb | 225 kg | Intermediate |
| 40th percentile | 518 lb | 235 kg | Intermediate |
| 50th percentile | 546 lb | 247.5 kg | Advanced |
| 60th percentile | 573 lb | 260 kg | Advanced |
| 70th percentile | 595 lb | 270 kg | Advanced |
| 80th percentile | 623 lb | 282.5 kg | Elite |
| 85th percentile | 639 lb | 290 kg | Elite |
| 90th percentile | 661 lb | 300 kg | Elite |
| 95th percentile | 705 lb | 320 kg | World Class |
| 97.5th percentile | 733 lb | 332.5 kg | World Class |
| 99th percentile | 772 lb | 350 kg | World Class |
Novice = below the 20th percentile of competitors. Intermediate = 20th–50th. Advanced = 50th–80th. Elite = 80th–95th. World Class = top 5%. Percentiles are calculated on the best deadlift from each meet entry, so a lifter with ten meets appears ten times; this weights the data toward experienced competitors.
How to Improve Your Deadlift
Deadlift tolerates less frequency than the other lifts — one heavy pull per week plus one lighter variation day is enough for most lifters. Weak off the floor means more leg drive: deficit pulls, paused deadlifts below the knee, and front squats. Weak at lockout means glutes and upper back: block pulls, Romanian deadlifts, and rows. Grip failing before the back does is common past the 400/500 lb range; switch to mixed or hook grip and train it. See the accessory selection guide and the program generator.
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Frequently Asked
What is a good deadlift for men in the 120 kg raw class?
The median competition deadlift in this class is 546 lb (247.5 kg). Anything above that beats half of all raw men who have competed at 120 kg. 623 lb (282.5 kg) puts you in the top 20%, and 705 lb (320 kg) in the top 5%.
What deadlift do you need to be elite at 120 kg?
Using the top-10% line as the elite threshold, that is 661 lb (300 kg) for raw men at 120 kg. The top 1% of the class has lifted 772 lb (350 kg) or more.
Where does this data come from?
Every number on this page is computed from 96,636 competition results in the OpenPowerlifting database for raw men in the 120 kg class, and is regenerated automatically as new meets are added (last update 2026-09-02). These are lifts done in competition under referees, not gym numbers or self-reported maxes.