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Bent Over Barbell Row strength standards

What is a good Bent Over Barbell Row?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Bent Over Barbell Row is about 155 lb (0.86x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 199 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 155 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 199 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 Bent Over Barbell Row

A solid (Intermediate) Bent Over Barbell Row for a 180 lb male is about 155 lb (0.86x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Bent Over Barbell Row into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 199 lb (1.11x bodyweight).

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

Bent Over Barbell Row demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your Bent Over Barbell Row? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles lats
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 Bent Over Barbell Row?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 155 lbs (0.86x bodyweight) on the Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell Row entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

155 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.86x 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 37 59 88 121 158
120 44 68 98 134 173
130 51 76 108 146 186
140 58 85 118 157 200
150 65 93 127 168 211
160 71 101 137 179 223
170 78 109 146 189 235
180 85 116 155 199 246
190 91 124 164 209 257
200 97 131 172 218 267
210 104 138 180 228 278
220 109 145 188 237 288
230 116 152 196 245 298
240 121 159 204 253 307
250 127 165 211 262 316
260 133 172 218 270 325
270 138 178 225 278 333
280 144 184 232 286 342
290 149 190 239 293 350
300 154 196 246 300 358
310 160 202 252 307 366

Is Your Bent Over Barbell Row Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good Bent Over Barbell Row at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Bent Over Barbell Row is about 155 lb (0.86x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 199 lb (1.11x), and Elite is 246 lb (1.37x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Bent Over Barbell Row is about 76 lb (0.54x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 109 lb (0.78x), and Elite is 146 lb (1.04x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Bent Over Barbell Row?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 155 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 85 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 76 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 28 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 127 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 188 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 152 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 135 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 Bent Over Barbell Row Strength?

How Bent Over Barbell 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 62 92 130 174 222
20 71 105 148 199 254
25 72 108 152 204 260
30 72 108 152 204 260
35 72 108 152 204 260
40 72 108 152 204 260
45 69 102 144 193 247
50 64 96 135 181 232
55 60 89 125 168 214
60 55 81 114 153 196
65 49 73 103 139 177
70 44 66 92 124 159
75 39 59 83 111 142
80 35 53 74 99 127
85 32 47 67 89 114
90 29 42 60 81 102

What Do Bent Over Barbell Row Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell Row

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Bent Over Barbell Row to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell Row

["Holding a barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing down), bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping the back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Tip: Make sure that you keep the head up. The barbell should hang directly in front of you as your arms hang perpendicular to the floor and your torso. This is your starting position.","Now, while keeping the torso stationary, breathe out and lift the barbell to you. Keep the elbows close to the body and only use the forearms to hold the weight. At the top contracted position, squeeze the back muscles and hold for a brief pause.","Then inhale and slowly lower the barbell back to the starting position.","Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions."]

Read the complete Bent Over Barbell Row guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Bent Over Barbell Row

["Category: Strength","Force: Pull","Movement type: Compound"]

Where Do These Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell Row Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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" Bent Over Barbell 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 Bent Over Barbell 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.