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Barbell Rear Delt Row strength standards

What is a good Barbell Rear Delt Row?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Barbell Rear Delt Row is about 80 lb (0.44x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 104 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

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Barbell Rear Delt Row Standards by Bodyweight

Estimates from the FitnessVolt standards model, scaled from the Shoulder Press table by a fixed ratio of 0.55. Updated March 29, 2026. Find the row closest to your bodyweight. Beginner is a first target for a new lifter, Novice a few months in, Intermediate about one to two years of structured training, Advanced several years, Elite the top of the table.

BW (lbs) Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
110 18 30 46 64 86
120 21 34 51 71 93
130 25 39 56 77 100
140 28 42 61 83 107
150 31 47 66 89 113
160 35 51 70 94 119
170 38 54 75 99 125
180 41 58 80 104 131
190 44 62 84 109 136
200 47 65 88 114 141
210 50 69 92 118 147
220 53 73 96 123 152
230 56 76 100 128 157
240 59 79 104 131 161
250 62 83 108 136 166
260 64 86 111 140 171
270 67 89 115 144 175
280 70 92 118 148 179
290 73 95 122 152 183
300 75 98 125 155 188
310 78 101 128 159 191

The Barbell Rear Delt Row standard at each level as bodyweight rises, for the sex selected above. Exact numbers in the table above.

Barbell Rear Delt Row Standards by Age

How the Barbell Rear Delt Row standards change with age, as a 1RM in lb. This table is not tied to one bodyweight, so read it for the trend and use the bodyweight table above for your own number.

Age Beginner Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
15 31 47 67 90 116
20 35 53 76 103 133
25 36 54 78 106 136
30 36 54 78 106 136
35 36 54 78 106 136
40 36 54 78 106 136
45 34 52 74 100 129
50 32 48 69 94 121
55 30 45 64 87 112
60 27 41 59 80 102
65 25 37 53 72 92
70 22 34 48 64 83
75 20 30 42 58 74
80 18 26 38 52 67
85 16 24 34 46 59
90 14 21 31 42 53

The Barbell Rear Delt Row standard at each level as age rises, for the sex selected above. Exact numbers in the table above.

Check Your Barbell Rear Delt Row Level

Intermediate
Level score: 50 of 100
Level score on the FitnessVolt standards: Beginner 5, Novice 20, Intermediate 50, Advanced 80, Elite 95
A 180 lb male lifting 80 lbs (0.44x bodyweight) on the Barbell Rear Delt Row is at the Intermediate standard for his bodyweight. Enter your own numbers above to see where you stand.

Over 40? Add your age and the calculator also shows an age-adjusted level and an age-30 equivalent, using the McCulloch age factor to scale your lift to peak age. Every age band is in the standards by age table above.

Level score:
Level score on the FitnessVolt standards: Beginner 5, Novice 20, Intermediate 50, Advanced 80, Elite 95
Age-adjusted score
lb Age-30 equivalent 1RM

of 100
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What the Barbell Rear Delt Row Strength Levels Mean

Beginner

You are building the mind-muscle connection for the Barbell Rear Delt Row, learning to initiate the pull with your back rather than your arms, and developing basic grip strength.

Novice

You can perform the Barbell Rear Delt Row with proper scapular retraction and a controlled range of motion. You are progressively overloading and building back thickness and lat width.

Intermediate

Your Barbell Rear Delt 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

You have built substantial back development through the Barbell Rear Delt 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

Your Barbell Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt Row

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Barbell Rear Delt Row to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Barbell Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt Row

Barbell Rear Delt Row demonstration
Primary Muscles delts
Equipment barbell
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound
["Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent.","Hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Bend forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.","Pull the barbell towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.","Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete Barbell Rear Delt Row guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These Barbell Rear Delt Row Standards Come From?

The levels on this page are estimates from the FitnessVolt strength standards model. The Barbell Rear Delt Row table is the Shoulder Press table scaled by a fixed FitnessVolt ratio of 0.55 (confidence: medium). It is a set of targets, not a measured population. There is no competition or gym dataset for the Barbell Rear Delt Row itself. Reader-submitted benchmarks appear only after enough entries are logged for this lift.

Standards data last refreshed: March 29, 2026

  • Level tables: the FitnessVolt strength standards model, not meet data.
  • Method: Strength standards methodology - how the level tables are built and where each data source on the site comes from.
Cite this Fitness Volt strength standards model, 2026. Beginner to Elite levels are model values, not competition percentiles. https://fitnessvolt.com/strength-standards/methodology/

Frequently Asked Questions

A "good" Barbell Rear Delt 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 Rear Delt 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.
They are estimates from the FitnessVolt strength standards model. The Barbell Rear Delt Row table is the Shoulder Press table scaled by a fixed FitnessVolt ratio of 0.55 (confidence: medium). It is a set of targets, not a measured population.
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.

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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.