Powerlifting Physique and Body Fat
Classic powerlifters in one DXA study were not uniformly fat. Men averaged 20.4% body fat and women 27.0%. Published figures are by sex, not by weight class.
DXA results from one study
Ferland and colleagues (2023, International Journal of Exercise Science) scanned 34 classic powerlifters, 21 men and 13 women, a mean of 43.97 days after a meet, with a spread of 23.93 days. Whole-group body fat was 22.9% ± 10.2. Men were 20.4% ± 8.5. Women were 27.0% ± 11.7.
| Group | n | Body fat | Body mass | Total (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 34 | 22.9 ± 10.2% | — | — |
| Men | 21 | 20.4 ± 8.5% | 92.2 ± 15.9 kg | 603.1 ± 101.2 |
| Women | 13 | 27.0 ± 11.7% | 71.0 ± 19.0 kg | 341.8 ± 64.4 |
Lean mass and the lifting total
The paper's regression was Total (kg) = 10.84 × lean body weight (kg) − 154.89, with r = 0.90. For lean mass divided by height, r was 0.92. A related 59-person paper from the same line of work found torso girth predicting the squat (β 0.41), bench (β 0.77), deadlift (β 0.88), and total (β 0.89).
A small follow-up inside the 2023 paper saw bone density rise 1.57% from the first to the second scan (n = 13). From the second to the third, lean mass fell 2.95% and body fat rose 2.59% (n = 8). The authors call those shifts small.
I will not print an average for the 66 kg class. The study never splits body fat by class, and a back-calculation from class limits would be a guess. The study included no men in the 66 kg class, so its male mean cannot answer that class-specific question.
Why lifters can look heavy
Male BMI in the study was 30.4 and female BMI was 26.8. BMI reads muscle as weight. The physique question “why are powerlifters fat” is really two facts: the average in this sample was 22.9%, and the people who total more tend to carry more lean mass, which looks thick through the trunk.
FAQ
What is the average body fat of a 66 kg powerlifter?
No DXA source I used reports it by class. The male mean in this 34-person study was 20.4%, and that sample was not limited to 66 kg.
Are powerlifters actually strong?
The men in this study totaled 603 kg on average and the women 342 kg. The reported association with lean mass was r = 0.90; this observational result does not establish a causal effect of body fat.
Sources
- Ferland et al. 2023, IJES DXA study checked 2026-11-09
Limitation: this single 34-person study does not estimate body fat for all powerlifters or for any specific weight class.