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barbell pendlay row strength standards

What is a good barbell pendlay row?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate barbell pendlay row is about 150 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 193 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 150 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 193 lb Advanced standard
Gym median Separate tab Self-reported, not blended
Check My Level Estimate Your 1RM Methodology
Evidence ledger No blended rankings
Primary source FitnessVolt standards model
Available views Standards
Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.

Quick Answer barbell pendlay row

A solid (Intermediate) barbell pendlay row for a 180 lb male is about 150 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own barbell pendlay row into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 193 lb (1.07x bodyweight).

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

barbell pendlay row demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your barbell pendlay row? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles upper-back
Equipment barbell
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Advanced
Type Compound

Estimated Standards - The level table for this exercise is modeled from FitnessVolt strength ratios for a related base lift, not from direct measurements of this movement. Learn about our methodology

How Strong Is Your barbell pendlay row?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 150 lbs (0.83x bodyweight) on the barbell pendlay row ranks Intermediate on the FVCP competition scale, stronger than ~50% of verified competition lifters at this bodyweight. Enter your own numbers above to see where you stand.

That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.

Over 40? Our calculator also reports an age-adjusted percentile and an age-30 equivalent using the McCulloch age factor, so masters lifters are compared to lifters their own age. See the age-adjusted (Masters 40+) standards below for the full breakdown.

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
Your FVCP:
Age-adjusted percentile
lb Age-30 equivalent 1RM

FVCP competition ranking, shown separately from gym percentiles and reader logs
th percentile

Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your lift falls, not a measured frequency count.

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to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

We do not have enough reader-submitted barbell pendlay row entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

150 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.83x x Bodyweight

Baseline figures for a 180 lb male at Intermediate level, from the standards table. This is not reader-submitted data. So far readers have logged a lift here.

Enter your numbers above first. We publish reader benchmarks only after a sample threshold is met.

How Much Should You barbell pendlay row?

Use this table to find the standard closest to your bodyweight. The tiers are standards, not claims about reader submissions.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM scales with bodyweight at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 36 57 85 118 154
120 43 66 95 130 168
130 50 74 105 141 181
140 56 82 115 152 194
150 63 90 124 163 205
160 69 98 133 173 217
170 76 105 142 184 228
180 82 113 150 193 239
190 88 120 159 203 250
200 95 127 167 212 260
210 101 134 175 221 270
220 106 141 183 230 279
230 112 148 190 238 289
240 118 154 198 246 298
250 123 160 205 254 307
260 129 167 212 262 316
270 134 173 219 270 324
280 139 179 226 277 332
290 145 185 232 285 340
300 150 190 239 292 347
310 155 197 245 299 356

Is Your barbell pendlay row Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good barbell pendlay row at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell pendlay row is about 150 lb (0.83x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 193 lb (1.07x), and Elite is 239 lb (1.33x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell pendlay row is about 73 lb (0.52x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 106 lb (0.76x), and Elite is 142 lb (1.01x).

How Much Should You Be Able to barbell pendlay row?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 150 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 82 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 73 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 27 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 124 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 183 lb at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.

By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male lifts about 148 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 131 lb. See the By Age tab for every age band.

FitnessVolt standards, with FVCP competition rankings shown separately from gym percentiles

How Does Age Affect barbell pendlay row Strength?

How barbell pendlay row standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.

How a male lifter's expected 1RM changes with age at each level. Exact numbers in the table below.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 60 89 126 169 216
20 69 102 143 193 247
25 70 105 148 198 253
30 70 105 148 198 253
35 70 105 148 198 253
40 70 105 148 198 253
45 67 99 140 188 240
50 63 93 131 176 225
55 58 86 122 163 208
60 53 78 111 149 190
65 48 71 100 135 172
70 43 64 90 120 154
75 38 57 80 108 138
80 34 51 72 97 123
85 31 46 65 86 111
90 28 41 58 78 99

What Do barbell pendlay row Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the barbell pendlay row, learning to initiate the pull with your back rather than your arms, and developing basic grip strength.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the barbell pendlay row with proper scapular retraction and a controlled range of motion. You are progressively overloading and building back thickness and lat width.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your barbell pendlay row shows strong back engagement with minimal momentum. You use RPE to regulate pulling intensity and train strategically to balance horizontal and vertical pull volume.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built substantial back development through the barbell pendlay row with refined technique and heavy loads. Your grip is no longer a limiting factor, and you manage rowing and pulling fatigue across training blocks.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your barbell pendlay row strength is exceptional. You can handle loads that most lifters cannot move with strict form, and your back development reflects years of high-volume, periodized pulling work.

How to Progress Your barbell pendlay row

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your barbell pendlay row to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the barbell pendlay row 2x per week, focusing on initiating the pull from your back, not your arms.
  • Use linear progression with strict form - no swinging or excessive body English.
  • Pause briefly at peak contraction to build the mind-muscle connection.
  • Develop grip strength in parallel to avoid it becoming a bottleneck.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Add a pull variation (different grip width, underhand, or single-arm) for balanced development.
  • Increase pulling volume to 10-15 sets per week across all back movements.
  • Program the barbell pendlay row at RPE 7-8, saving RPE 9 work for top sets only.
  • Balance horizontal pulls (rows) with vertical pulls (pulldowns/pull-ups).
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Periodized Training Blocks
  • Run 4-6 week blocks with progressive overload on the barbell pendlay row.
  • Use RPE 8-9 for heavy sets with calculated backoff work at RPE 6-7.
  • Add controlled eccentrics and paused reps to break through plateaus.
  • Total back volume of 15-22 sets per week, distributed across pull patterns.
Program your backoff sets →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize the barbell pendlay row through advanced intensity techniques and precise volume management.
  • Use periodized blocks with planned overreaching and supercompensation phases.
  • Refine execution: squeeze at contraction, controlled stretch, zero momentum.
  • Your back development should reflect years of disciplined, high-volume pulling.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform barbell pendlay row

["Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent.","Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and your chest up.","Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Pull the barbell towards your upper abdomen, squeezing your shoulder blades together.","Lower the barbell back down to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete barbell pendlay row guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These barbell pendlay row Standards Come From?

FitnessVolt keeps each data population labeled. Competition percentiles use verified raw meet results where available. Gym percentile tabs use self-reported Symmetric Strength data. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.

Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026

Is Your barbell pendlay row Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your barbell pendlay row against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:

  1. Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
  2. Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
  3. Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
  4. Use By Age when age-segmented gym data is available.

If you do not know your 1RM, use the one rep max calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can barbell pendlay row 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.

The important rule: do not mix the tabs. Standards, gym percentiles, competition percentiles, and reader logs answer different questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" barbell pendlay row depends on your bodyweight, sex, and training background. The Intermediate tier is a useful first serious target, while Advanced and Elite represent much harder standards. Use the table above for the number closest to your bodyweight.
Many lifters can reach the Intermediate tier on the barbell pendlay row after steady training, but the timeline depends on starting point, technique, programming, recovery, and bodyweight changes. Treat the tier as a benchmark, not a deadline.
Yes. Competition views use verified meet-result data where available, gym percentile views use self-reported gym cohorts, and reader-submitted benchmarks are shown only after enough entries are logged. The populations are labeled separately.
For weighted lifts, enter a clean raw 1RM or an estimated 1RM from a recent hard set. For rep-based movements, enter controlled full-range reps. Avoid equipped lifts, partial reps, or bounced reps unless you are comparing against the same style every time.

Related Exercise Standards

Related Calculators

One Rep Max Calculator Estimate your one-rep max from any rep set Benchmarks Compare against competition data RPE Chart Training load percentages by RPE
Written by Tom Miller, CSCS · Reviewed by Editorial Team
Tom Miller, CSCS, is a Sr. Editor & Content Strategist with 10 years of experience in Powerlifting and Personal Training. As a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, he is dedicated to delivering informative, engaging, and reliable health and fitness content. His work has been featured on websites including the-sun.com, Well+Good, Bleacher Report, Muscle and Fitness, UpJourney, Business Insider, NewsBreak and more.