- The median deadlift for raw men at 74 kg is 430 lb (195 kg). Beat that and you out-lift half the class.
- Top 20%: 502 lb (227.5 kg). Top 10%: 535 lb (242.5 kg). Top 1%: 625 lb (283.5 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 — 74 kg Raw Men
The 74 kg class covers men weighing 66–74 kg (146–163 lb). These percentiles are computed from 98,751 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 | 276 lb | 125 kg | Novice |
| 10th percentile | 309 lb | 140 kg | Novice |
| 20th percentile | 353 lb | 160 kg | Intermediate |
| 30th percentile | 386 lb | 175 kg | Intermediate |
| 40th percentile | 408 lb | 185 kg | Intermediate |
| 50th percentile | 430 lb | 195 kg | Advanced |
| 60th percentile | 452 lb | 205 kg | Advanced |
| 70th percentile | 474 lb | 215 kg | Advanced |
| 80th percentile | 502 lb | 227.5 kg | Elite |
| 85th percentile | 515 lb | 233.6 kg | Elite |
| 90th percentile | 535 lb | 242.5 kg | Elite |
| 95th percentile | 564 lb | 256 kg | World Class |
| 97.5th percentile | 595 lb | 270 kg | World Class |
| 99th percentile | 625 lb | 283.5 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 74 kg raw class?
The median competition deadlift in this class is 430 lb (195 kg). Anything above that beats half of all raw men who have competed at 74 kg. 502 lb (227.5 kg) puts you in the top 20%, and 564 lb (256 kg) in the top 5%.
What deadlift do you need to be elite at 74 kg?
Using the top-10% line as the elite threshold, that is 535 lb (242.5 kg) for raw men at 74 kg. The top 1% of the class has lifted 625 lb (283.5 kg) or more.
Where does this data come from?
Every number on this page is computed from 98,751 competition results in the OpenPowerlifting database for raw men in the 74 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.