These strength standards are derived from historical AAU and powerlifting performance classifications systems and have been adjusted for the effects of aging. There are no standards in print anywhere that are absolute dead-on, these may be the closest to real world available - if your deadlift is at the 'elite&' level and you aren't winning events, its because someone else is more elite. Revel in the fact that you are better than 99% of the whole population (but not 99% of the total of competitive lifters). These standards may be the only age-adjusted standards in existence. According to the scientific literature, if you are in the top third of the population in strength, you will be less likely to die from any cause than the weaker two thirds. An explanation, illustration, and the citation for this fact are on the print. Charts like this help select target goals for performance and for avoiding early mortality.