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barbell upright row strength standards

What is a good barbell upright row?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate barbell upright row is about 104 lb (0.58x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 136 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 104 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 136 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 upright row

A solid (Intermediate) barbell upright row for a 180 lb male is about 104 lb (0.58x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own barbell upright row into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 136 lb (0.76x bodyweight).

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

barbell upright row demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles delts
Equipment barbell
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
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 upright row?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 104 lbs (0.58x bodyweight) on the barbell upright 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 upright row entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

104 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.58x 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 upright 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 23 39 60 84 112
120 28 45 66 93 122
130 32 50 73 101 130
140 37 55 80 108 140
150 41 61 86 116 148
160 45 66 92 122 156
170 50 71 98 130 163
180 54 76 104 136 171
190 58 81 109 143 179
200 62 86 115 149 185
210 66 91 121 155 192
220 70 95 126 161 199
230 73 99 131 167 205
240 77 104 136 172 211
250 81 108 141 178 217
260 84 112 145 183 223
270 88 116 150 189 229
280 91 120 155 194 235
290 95 125 159 199 240
300 98 128 163 203 246
310 102 132 168 208 251

Is Your barbell upright row Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell upright row is about 104 lb (0.58x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 136 lb (0.76x), and Elite is 171 lb (0.95x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) barbell upright row is about 53 lb (0.38x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 74 lb (0.53x), and Elite is 99 lb (0.71x).

How Much Should You Be Able to barbell upright row?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 104 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 54 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 53 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 21 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 86 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 126 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 102 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 91 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 upright row Strength?

How barbell upright 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 40 61 87 118 152
20 46 70 99 135 174
25 48 71 102 138 179
30 48 71 102 138 179
35 48 71 102 138 179
40 48 71 102 138 179
45 45 68 97 131 169
50 42 63 91 123 158
55 39 59 84 114 147
60 35 54 77 104 134
65 32 48 69 94 121
70 29 44 63 84 109
75 26 39 55 76 97
80 23 35 50 68 87
85 21 31 45 60 78
90 19 28 40 55 70

What Do barbell upright row Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the barbell upright 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 upright 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 upright 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 upright 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 upright 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 upright row

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

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the barbell upright 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 upright 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 upright 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 upright 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 upright row

["Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Let the barbell hang in front of your thighs, arms fully extended.","Keeping your back straight and core engaged, exhale and lift the barbell straight up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.","Pause for a moment at the top, then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete barbell upright row guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These barbell upright 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 upright row Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your barbell upright 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 upright 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 upright 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 upright 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.