Here at the Maccabee Society, we have had discussions on the importance of squats, deadlifts, and other lifting exercises for the sake of posture, testosterone, strength, and confidence:

As you enter the realm of the deadlift and squat, you’ll likely hear of the “1,000 pound club” as the coveted fraternity of human strength.

To enter into the league of the “1,000 pound club” you must be able to one rep max the squat, deadlift, and benchpress so that the combined totals weigh 1,000 pounds. So it could look like this:

  • squat: 320 pounds
  • deadlift: 400 pounds
  • benchpress: 280 pounds

This adds up to 1,000 pounds. If you can accomplish this, you are strong. You’re entitled to wear the t shirt…

Now many of us will not attain to 1,000 lb club. I worked hard for a couple of years, and I was only able to reach the 950 lb club, but not the 1,000 lb club. It takes lifting 3x a week at least, and lots of sleep and food.

Aiming for 700 lb club:

So if you already lift, I would encourage you to set your goal to the 700 lb club. It could look like this:

  • squat 250
  • deadlift 280
  • bench 170

This is attainable by most men. In fact, if you consistently practiced Stronglifts 5×5 for 1-3 months or so, you should reach it.

Aiming for 800 and 900 lb club:

800 could look something like this:

  • squat 290 pounds
  • deadlift 310 pounds
  • bench 200 pounds

900 could look like this arrangement:

  • squat 325 pounds
  • deadlift 350 pounds
  • bench 225 pounds

Do you already lift with these three exercises? If so, what’s your current 3 lift total? Where do you want to be in 12 months? Please leave a comment.