What is a good squat weight?

A good squat weight varies depending on your goals and fitness level. According to Sal Di Stefano, squat strength can be categorized into three levels for both men and women:

For Men:

• Decent: Squat 1.5 times your body weight.
• Good: Squat 2 times your body weight.
• Great: Squat 2.5 times your body weight 1.

For Women:

• Decent: Squat 0.75 times your body weight.
• Good: Squat 1.25 times your body weight.
• Great: Squat 2 times your body weight 1.

For health and longevity, it's not just about how much you can lift but how well you can perform daily activities without pain or limitations. As you age, maintaining functional strength becomes more important than peak strength numbers. For example, being able to comfortably squat around 225 to 300 pounds is more practical for long-term health compared to striving for extreme lifts like 450 pounds, which might require excessive dedication and increase injury risk 2.