How many squats should I do? Most healthy adults can perform 20–50 bodyweight squats in a single set, but the ideal number depends on your age, fitness level, and goals. Below, we break down squat averages by age and sex so you can see exactly where you stand.
In other words, there are squat weight standards or lots of available average weights for squats but very little in terms of official squat standards or squat averages for the number of squat reps for men, women, and age, among other factors.
That said, in this guide, we will look at the average number of squats people can do based on age, sex, fitness level, and body weight, ultimately trying to answer the question: “How many squats should I be able to do?”
We will cover:
- How Many Squats Should You Be Able To Do?
- How Many Squats Should I Be Able To Do? Average Squat Count By Age, Sex, And Training Background
Let’s dive in!
The Honest Truth About Bodyweight Squat Counts
“How many squats should I be able to do” is a question with no clean answer — and understanding why is useful before you start counting. The number depends on three things most articles skim past: what the test is actually measuring (spoiler: not strength), which standardised protocol you’re comparing against (most published norms are age-based chair stands, not bodyweight air squats), and how strictly you’re defining a rep. Here’s the physiological and testing reality.
Bodyweight squat reps measure local muscular endurance, not strength
On the strength-endurance continuum1Kraemer WJ, Ratamess NA. Fundamentals of resistance training: progression and exercise prescription. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004;36(4):674–688., 1–5 reps at max load trains maximal strength; 6–12 reps trains hypertrophy; 15+ reps trains local muscular endurance. Bodyweight squats for an adult whose legs can already lift their own mass typically fall well into the 15–100+ rep range — which places them firmly in the endurance category. Morton’s lab2Morton RW, Oikawa SY, Wavell CG, et al. Neither load nor systemic hormones determine resistance training-mediated hypertrophy or strength gains in resistance-trained young men. J Appl Physiol. 2016;121(1):129–138. and Schoenfeld’s failure-point work3Schoenfeld BJ, Peterson MD, Ogborn D, Contreras B, Sonmez GT. Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained Men. J Strength Cond Res. 2015;29(10):2954–2963.Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and Hypertrophy Adaptations Between Low- vs. High-Load Resistance Training: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508–3523. show that low-load training to failure can match high-load strength gains only when you genuinely reach muscular failure — which most people can’t with pure bodyweight squats because cardiovascular/technique failure hits first. The result: someone who can do 50 bodyweight squats and someone who can do 5 may have identical quad strength. The rep count is telling you about endurance, breathing pattern, knee-joint tolerance and technique economy — not about whether your legs are “strong.”
The validated population norms are chair stands, not air squats
If you look for published normative data on “how many squats”, what actually exists is the 30-second chair stand. Rikli and Jones’s Senior Fitness Test4Rikli RE, Jones CJ. Development and Validation of a Functional Fitness Test for Community-Residing Older Adults. J Aging Phys Act. 1999;7(2):129–161. provides the most widely cited tables: healthy 60–64-year-olds average ~14–17 chair stands in 30 seconds (women) and ~14–19 (men); 80–84-year-olds average ~10–15 (women) and ~11–17 (men). Bohannon’s meta-analysis5Bohannon RW. Reference values for the five-repetition sit-to-stand test: a descriptive meta-analysis of data from elders. Percept Mot Skills. 2006;103(1):215–222. compiled pooled sit-to-stand reference values across 10 studies, and Guralnik’s SPPB work6Guralnik JM, Ferrucci L, Simonsick EM, Salive ME, Wallace RB. Lower-extremity function in persons over the age of 70 years as a predictor of subsequent disability. N Engl J Med. 1995;332(9):556–561. validated five-time sit-to-stand as a mortality predictor in older adults. For younger adults, published norms essentially don’t exist — the ACSM guidelines7American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM’s Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th ed. Wolters Kluwer. 2021. publish push-up norms by age and sex, but no bodyweight squat norms. Most “average squats” tables you’ll find online are extrapolated from push-up/curl-up tables or military fitness test guidelines, not from peer-reviewed normative databases. Buchner and colleagues’ work8Buchner DM, Larson EB, Wagner EH, Koepsell TD, de Lateur BJ. Evidence for a non-linear relationship between leg strength and gait speed. Age Ageing. 1996;25(5):386–391. adds the key caveat: the relationship between leg strength and function is non-linear, so above a certain basic threshold, more reps don’t translate to proportional function gains.
Rep depth and technique change the count by 30–50% — and no one measures it
A “squat” isn’t a defined unit until depth, tempo and torso angle are specified. Schoenfeld’s squat-depth review9Schoenfeld BJ. Squatting Kinematics and Kinetics and Their Application to Exercise Performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(12):3497–3506. documents that full squats (thighs below parallel) recruit substantially more glute and hamstring activation than partial squats, but cost 30–40% more effort per rep. Bloomquist10Bloomquist K, Langberg H, Karlsen S, Madsgaard S, Boesen M, Raastad T. Effect of range of motion in heavy load squatting on muscle and tendon adaptations. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2013;113(8):2133–2142. compared deep (120° knee flexion) vs. partial (60°) squat training and found deeper ROM produced superior muscle and tendon adaptations but required a different strength base. In practical terms: someone squatting to a parallel box with 2-second tempo will tally 40–50% fewer reps than someone doing quarter-squats at bouncing speed — and both will call it “50 squats.” Campbell’s bodyweight circuit research11Campbell E, Serrano MD, Brown JD, et al. Bodyweight training effects on muscular strength and endurance: A systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2020. shows that without standardised depth, tempo and rest criteria, inter-session variation in rep count easily exceeds 20%, making self-comparisons against online tables almost meaningless. If you want a meaningful number, pick a protocol (30-second max reps to a knee-height box, for instance) and keep it the same every test.
When rep count isn’t the right test at all
For specific goals, bodyweight squat rep count is often the wrong measure. If you’re training for strength or athletic performance, Suchomel’s review12Suchomel TJ, Nimphius S, Stone MH. The Importance of Muscular Strength in Athletic Performance. Sports Med. 2016;46(10):1419–1449. and Bazyler13Bazyler CD, Abbott HA, Bellon CR, Taber CB, Stone MH. Strength Training for Endurance Athletes: Theory to Practice. Strength Cond J. 2015;37(2):1–12. argue a loaded squat 1RM or 5RM, or power metrics like countermovement-jump height, track the adaptations you actually care about — bodyweight rep counts simply plateau as leg endurance catches up. If you’re a runner, single-leg squats or a hop test are more specific to running mechanics. If you’re focused on longevity and functional capacity, the chair-stand test has actual validated cut-points: five stands in 15 seconds or less is a widely used functional threshold14Bohannon RW. Sit-to-stand test for measuring performance of lower extremity muscles. Percept Mot Skills. 1995;80(1):163–166.. “Do 50 in a row” is an impressive party trick and a legitimate endurance benchmark for moderately fit adults, but as a health or training metric it’s less informative than a 3-rep-max goblet squat, a unilateral step-up progression, or a 30-second chair stand against the age-matched norms that actually exist.
How Many Squats Should You Be Able To Do?
Trying to answer the question, “How many squats should I be able to do?“ is that determining the average squat count by age, the average number of squats for women, a good number of squats for men, etc., requires looking at bodyweight squats, also called air squats, rather than squats with weight.
Otherwise, it would be pretty impossible to make an apples-to-apples comparison or answer: “How many squats can the average person do?“ when a different squat weight is being used for all of the average number of squats data.
Ultimately, many people perform weighted squats with a barbell, dumbbells, or other weights rather than bodyweight squats or air squats.
Unless you are a beginner or a senior, or perhaps someone who is classified as overweight or obese based on body mass index (BMI), bodyweight squats aren’t super challenging such that you might have to perform many air squats or get such a high bodyweight squat count before your muscles give out.
Thus, most people are less interested in testing the maximum number of squats they can do and are more focused on the max squat weight (squat 1RM) they can lift.
Or, they prefer to just do the correct number of squats using an appropriate load based on fitness level and fitness goal rather than banging out super long sets of bodyweight squats to see how many air squats they can do before hitting failure.
Therefore, it is important to consider why you are interested in determining the average number of squats by age or sex.
Perhaps your fitness goals are better aligned by looking at how much weight you should be squatting and how many reps and sets of squats you should do based on your fitness level, squat weight, and training goal.
One final way that you can bring more value to looking at the question: “How many squats should I be able to do?“ for assessing your fitness level based on the average number of squats age-matched and sex-matched peers might be able to do is by putting a time limit on the number of squats.
For example, “How many squats should I be able to do in one minute? Is 30 squats in a row good in 30 seconds? Is 100 squats without stopping good if I can perform them with proper form in under two minutes?”
Basically, much like a push-up test or curl-up test (which are also fitness tests for muscular endurance), you can look at the average number of bodyweight squats by age, sex, or fitness level in a distinct bodyweight squat test time period.
Although air squats aren’t generally used as a test of muscular endurance (as mentioned, this is usually sit-ups or push-ups), seeing how many squats you can do in one minute can be a good benchmark to assess your lower-body muscular endurance.
Then, you can track your improvement in your body weight squat count over time by retesting how many squats you can do in a minute using proper form.
Top End Sports describes how to do the squat test to determine how many squats you can do, how to interpret your results, and how to understand the average number of squats by age and sex.
How Many Squats Should I Be Able To Do? Average Squat Count By Age, Sex, And Training Background
While there may not be official bodyweight squat standards in terms of how many squats you should be able to do by age, sex, or body weight, Strength Level does have average squat reps for men and women by age and sex for basic bodyweight squats using self-submitted 134,331 data points from users of the online community for the website.
What Is the Average Squat Count By Age for Males?
According to Strength Level, here is the average squat count for men by age:
| Age (years) | Beginners (reps) | Novice (reps) | Intermediate (reps) | Advanced (reps) | Elite (reps) |
| 15 | < 1 | 9 | 44 | 91 | 147 |
| 20 | < 1 | 14 | 55 | 109 | 173 |
| 25 | < 1 | 16 | 57 | 113 | 178 |
| 30 | < 1 | 16 | 57 | 113 | 178 |
| 35 | < 1 | 16 | 57 | 113 | 178 |
| 40 | < 1 | 16 | 57 | 113 | 178 |
| 45 | < 1 | 13 | 53 | 105 | 167 |
| 50 | < 1 | 11 | 48 | 97 | 155 |
| 55 | < 1 | 8 | 42 | 87 | 141 |
| 60 | < 1 | 6 | 36 | 77 | 126 |
| 65 | < 1 | 2 | 29 | 67 | 111 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 23 | 57 | 97 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 18 | 48 | 84 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | 13 | 40 | 72 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 33 | 61 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 26 | 52 |
What Is the Average Squat Count By Weight for Males?
Here is the average number of squats for males based on body weight:
| Body Weight | Beginners (reps) | Novice (reps) | Intermediate (reps) | Advanced (reps) | Elite (reps) | |
| Pounds | Kilograms | |||||
| 110 | 50 | < 1 | 12 | 62 | 131 | 215 |
| 120 | 55 | < 1 | 13 | 61 | 127 | 206 |
| 130 | 59 | < 1 | 15 | 61 | 123 | 198 |
| 140 | 64 | < 1 | 15 | 60 | 120 | 191 |
| 150 | 68 | < 1 | 16 | 59 | 116 | 184 |
| 160 | 73 | < 1 | 16 | 58 | 113 | 178 |
| 170 | 77 | < 1 | 17 | 57 | 110 | 172 |
| 180 | 82 | < 1 | 17 | 56 | 107 | 167 |
| 190 | 86 | < 1 | 17 | 55 | 104 | 162 |
| 200 | 91 | < 1 | 17 | 54 | 101 | 157 |
| 210 | 95 | < 1 | 17 | 53 | 99 | 152 |
| 220 | 100 | < 1 | 17 | 52 | 96 | 148 |
| 230 | 105 | < 1 | 17 | 51 | 94 | 144 |
| 240 | 109 | < 1 | 17 | 50 | 92 | 140 |
| 250 | 114 | < 1 | 17 | 49 | 90 | 137 |
| 260 | 118 | < 1 | 16 | 48 | 88 | 133 |
| 270 | 123 | < 1 | 16 | 47 | 86 | 130 |
| 280 | 127 | < 1 | 16 | 46 | 84 | 127 |
| 290 | 132 | < 1 | 16 | 45 | 82 | 124 |
| 300 | 136 | < 1 | 16 | 44 | 80 | 121 |
| 310 | 141 | < 1 | 15 | 44 | 79 | 119 |
How Many Squats Should Men Be Able to Do?
When all of the male squats numbers from Strength Level are aggregated, the average number of squats for men by training level is as follows:
| Strength Level | Reps |
| Beginner | < 1 |
| Novice | 16 |
| Intermediate | 57 |
| Advanced | 113 |
| Elite | 178 |
What Is the Average Squat Count for Females By Age?
According to Strength Level, here is the average squat count for women by age:
| Age (years) | Beginners (reps) | Novice (reps) | Intermediate (reps) | Advanced (reps) | Elite (reps) |
| 15 | < 1 | 3 | 29 | 65 | 107 |
| 20 | < 1 | 7 | 37 | 78 | 126 |
| 25 | < 1 | 8 | 39 | 81 | 131 |
| 30 | < 1 | 8 | 39 | 81 | 131 |
| 35 | < 1 | 8 | 39 | 81 | 131 |
| 40 | < 1 | 8 | 39 | 81 | 131 |
| 45 | < 1 | 6 | 35 | 75 | 122 |
| 50 | < 1 | 4 | 31 | 69 | 113 |
| 55 | < 1 | 1 | 27 | 61 | 102 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 22 | 54 | 91 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 17 | 46 | 79 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 12 | 38 | 68 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 31 | 58 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 24 | 48 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 19 | 40 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 14 | 33 |
What Is the Average Squat Count for Women by Weight?
Here is the average number of squats for females based on body weight:
| Body Weight | Beginners (reps) | Novice (reps) | Intermediate (reps) | Advanced (reps) | Elite (reps) | |
| Pounds | Kilograms | |||||
| 90 | 41 | < 1 | 7 | 46 | 100 | 165 |
| 100 | 45 | < 1 | 8 | 44 | 95 | 156 |
| 110 | 50 | < 1 | 8 | 43 | 91 | 148 |
| 120 | 55 | < 1 | 8 | 42 | 87 | 140 |
| 130 | 59 | < 1 | 9 | 40 | 83 | 133 |
| 140 | 64 | < 1 | 9 | 39 | 80 | 127 |
| 150 | 68 | < 1 | 9 | 38 | 77 | 122 |
| 160 | 73 | < 1 | 8 | 37 | 74 | 117 |
| 170 | 77 | < 1 | 8 | 35 | 71 | 112 |
| 180 | 82 | < 1 | 8 | 34 | 68 | 108 |
| 190 | 86 | < 1 | 8 | 33 | 66 | 104 |
| 200 | 91 | < 1 | 8 | 32 | 64 | 100 |
| 210 | 95 | < 1 | 7 | 31 | 61 | 96 |
| 220 | 100 | < 1 | 7 | 30 | 59 | 93 |
| 230 | 105 | < 1 | 7 | 29 | 57 | 90 |
| 240 | 109 | < 1 | 7 | 28 | 56 | 87 |
| 250 | 114 | < 1 | 6 | 27 | 54 | 85 |
| 260 | 118 | < 1 | 6 | 26 | 52 | 82 |
How Many Squats Should Women Be Able to Do?
When all of the female squats data is aggregated, the average number of squats for women by training level is as follows:
| Strength Level | Reps |
| Beginner | < 1 |
| Novice | 8 |
| Intermediate | 39 |
| Advanced | 81 |
| Elite | 131 |
So, how do you interpret these squat rep averages?
There are actually two different ways to look at these fitness levels.
Strength Level classifies these fitness levels based on actual level of experience as well as percentiles.
Beginners know how to perform the exercise correctly but have only been training for about a month. In terms of percentiles, a “beginner level“ in terms of the average number of squats is someone who is better than just 5% of the population.
In other words, if you are indeed a beginner because you have just begun exercising and have only been doing squats for about a few months, you will look at the average number of squats beginners can do based on your age, sex, and body weight and aim to achieve that level or above.
On the other hand, if you are only able to do the number of bodyweight squats reported in the “Beginner“ column for your sex, age, or body weight, but you have been training longer than six months and fall into one of the other experience levels, your fitness is at a beginner level.
This is despite your training experience and shows that you aren’t as fit as other men or women (biological males or females) with similar experience, age, and body weight.
The categories are as follows:
- Beginner: Less than six months of training; stronger than 5% of lifters.
- Novice: Training at least six months but less than two years; stronger than 20% of lifters.
- Intermediate: Training at least two years; stronger than 50% of lifters.
- Advanced: Training at least five years; stronger than 80% of lifters.
- Elite: Training or competing competitively for at least five years; stronger than 95% of peers.
So, how many squats can the average person do?
Because the “intermediate“ level constitutes the 50th percentile, you could say that the number of squats the average male can do is 57, and the number of squats the average female can do is 39.
Remember that while you certainly can perform squats as a muscular endurance exercise, in which case most people do bodyweight squats and try to do as many squats as possible, the squat exercise is typically performed as a lower-body strengthening exercise or lower-body hypertrophy (muscle-building) exercise.
If you want to be able to do more squats, consider trying our 30-day squat challenge here.
