The Real Truth About Fitness Benchmarks

Every so often, an article comes out telling you what you “should” be able to lift, run, carry, hang from, or survive.

Those lists can be interesting, even motivating. But let’s be honest, they can also make us feel terrible because we’re nowhere near them or get cocky because we’re crushing one or two.

Neither response is especially helpful. 

At Beo Strength and Fitness in Sioux City, we coach busy adults from all over Siouxland, including South Sioux City, Sergeant Bluff, North Sioux City, and Dakota Dunes. And here’s what we can tell you:

General fitness benchmarks aren’t useless, they just aren’t personal. And that really matters. 

A good example came out in February 2026, when Men’s Health released a set of strength and conditioning standards for men in their 60s.

(You can check out the article here: These Are the Strength and Fitness Benchmarks Men Should Aim for in Their 60s.)

Here are a few of the benchmarks they listed, with the lifting numbers based on 1-rep maxes:

• Back squat: 1.3 x body weight
• Bench press: 0.8 x body weight
• Deadlift: 1.45 x body weight
• Dead hang: 60 seconds
• Max push-ups in 2 minutes: 45
• 1-mile run: under 9 minutes

Benchmarks Are General, Not Gospel

A benchmark is a broad guideline. It is not a verdict on your health, your effort, your athletic ability, or your future.

That’s where people get messed up.

A chart might say a man in his 60s should be able to squat a certain percentage of his body weight, do a certain number of push-ups, or run a mile in a certain time. Cool. But that still doesn’t tell us much about that individual person.

One 200-pound person might have years of training under their belt and move a barbell with ease. Another 200-pound person may be brand new to fitness, carrying extra body fat, dealing with stiff knees, and just trying to get through a workout without feeling like dying.

Same body weight, very different reality.

That’s why one-size-fits-all fitness advice usually falls apart the second it meets an actual person.

Your Benchmarks Should Match Your Life

This is the important part.

The right benchmark depends on you:

• your training history
• your age
• your injury history
• your body composition
• your stress level
• your schedule
• your goals

A beginner in Dakota Dunes who wants to feel stronger, lose weight, and stop getting winded carrying their kid doesn’t need the same targets as someone training for a Hyrox race. 

And someone who wants to hike, carry groceries up a flight of stairs, or just feel better in their own skin does not need to obsess over a deadlift number just because some article said so.

Do strength goals matter? Absolutely! But they need to be your strength goals.

For one person, a great early win might be squatting a 45-pound barbell with confidence. For another, it might be getting their first real push-up. For someone else, it might be just showing up to classes three times a week for a month without falling off the wagon.

That counts and it matters a lot more than internet bragging rights.

Sometimes Benchmarks Are Too Low

And here’s another important point:

Some benchmarks are not only too general, but they’re also too low.

We’ve seen plenty of adults in their 40s, 50s, and 60s do things they never thought they’d be able to do. We’ve seen people deadlift more than they imagined, get their first pull-up, improve their endurance, and become far more capable than some generic chart might suggest.

So no, benchmarks are not a ceiling either.

Don’t treat a published standard like it’s the most you should ever hope for. That’s bananas.

If you’ve got more in you, we’d rather help you find that out than encourage you to play small because a magazine gave you an average number.

The CrossFit Open Is a Great Example

At Beo, we just finished the CrossFit Open, which is a three-week worldwide competition with one workout released each week. It gives people a chance to see how they stack up not just inside their own gym, but against people in CrossFit affiliates all over the world. It is also one of the best ways to measure progress from year to year because it comes around annually. This was the 14th year we’ve done the CrossFit Open at Beo. (!) That’s one of the reasons we love it; not because everybody needs to care about their worldwide rank, but because it gives real context.

You might find out you’re stronger than you thought. You might find out your engine needs work. You might find out that burpees still feel like crap.

Super useful information!

That’s what good benchmarks do. They give you data. They are not there to shame you, and they are definitely not there to tell you whether you “count” as fit.

What Actually Matters

The best benchmark is the one that moves your life forward.

That might mean:

• losing body fat
• getting stronger
• building muscle
• improving energy
• getting off blood pressure medication
• training without pain
• keeping up with your kids
• feeling more confident in your body
• showing up consistently instead of starting over every Monday

That’s real fitness.

At Beo Strength and Fitness, we help busy adults in Sioux City and the Siouxland area build strength, improve conditioning, and get healthier with coaching that makes sense for real life. That includes one-hour group strength and conditioning classes, personal training, and nutrition coaching.

No fluff. No fake urgency. No pretending everybody’s benchmarks should be the same.

Just smart coaching, clear direction, and a plan built around where you are now and where you want to go.

So What Should You Do With Fitness Benchmarks?

Use them as a reference point. Not a report card.

If a benchmark motivates you, great. If it humbles you, also fine. If it tells you exactly nothing useful because it has nothing to do with your goals, you are allowed to move on with your life.

You do not need to force your body or your training into someone else’s template, you need a plan that fits you.

And that works a heck of a lot better than guessing, doing what you feel like doing, and hoping for the best.

Want Help Setting Better Benchmarks?

If you’re looking for a gym in Sioux City that actually takes your life, schedule, and goals into account, come talk to us.

We’ll help you figure out what matters, what doesn’t, and what your next steps should be.

Your goal might be to hit a lift PR. Or lose 20 pounds. Or feel better. Or stop starting over and all of that counts.

Book a free consultation with us here, and let’s set benchmarks that actually mean something.