Skip to content
Cable Lateral Raise strength standards

What is a good Cable Lateral Raise?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Cable Lateral Raise is about 43 lb (0.24x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 81 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 43 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 81 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 Cable Lateral Raise

A solid (Intermediate) Cable Lateral Raise for a 180 lb male is about 43 lb (0.24x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Cable Lateral Raise into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 81 lb (0.45x bodyweight).

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

Cable Lateral Raise demonstration
Estimated Standards

How strong is your Cable Lateral Raise? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.

Primary Muscles Shoulders (Deltoids), Trapezius, Supraspinatus
Equipment Cable Machine
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Beginner
Type Isolation

How Strong Is Your Cable Lateral Raise?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 43 lbs (0.24x bodyweight) on the Cable Lateral Raise 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.

Help improve accuracy for everyone
Share your FVCP with friends
Thanks for contributing! lifters have shared their data for this exercise.
to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

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

43 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.24x 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 Cable Lateral Raise?

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 0 6 24 53 93
120 0 7 27 58 99
130 0 9 29 62 105
140 1 10 32 66 110
150 1 12 35 70 115
160 2 14 38 74 120
170 2 15 40 78 125
180 3 17 43 81 129
190 4 18 45 85 133
200 4 20 48 88 137
210 5 21 50 91 141
220 6 23 52 94 145
230 7 24 55 97 149
240 7 26 57 100 153
250 8 27 59 103 156
260 9 29 61 106 159
270 10 30 63 108 163
280 11 31 65 111 166
290 11 33 67 114 169
300 12 34 69 116 172
310 13 35 71 118 175

Is Your Cable Lateral Raise Good?

A quick read on what counts as a good Cable Lateral Raise at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Cable Lateral Raise is about 43 lb (0.24x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 81 lb (0.45x), and Elite is 129 lb (0.72x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Cable Lateral Raise is about 21 lb (0.15x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 33 lb (0.24x), and Elite is 48 lb (0.34x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Cable Lateral Raise?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 43 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 3 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 21 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 5 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 35 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 52 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 40 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 36 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 Cable Lateral Raise Strength?

How Cable Lateral Raise 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 2 13 34 67 108
20 2 14 39 77 124
25 2 15 40 79 127
30 2 15 40 79 127
35 2 15 40 79 127
40 2 15 40 79 127
45 2 14 38 75 121
50 2 13 36 70 113
55 2 12 33 65 105
60 2 11 30 59 95
65 1 10 27 53 86
70 1 9 25 48 77
75 1 8 22 43 69
80 1 7 20 38 62
85 1 6 18 34 55
90 1 6 16 31 50

What Do Cable Lateral Raise Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement path and resistance curve on the Cable Lateral Raise, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Cable Lateral Raise with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Cable Lateral Raise is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Cable Lateral Raise through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Cable Lateral Raise strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.

How to Progress Your Cable Lateral Raise

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Cable Lateral Raise to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Cable Lateral Raise 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
  • Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
  • Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
  • Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Cable Lateral Raise.
  • Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
  • Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
  • Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Advanced Isolation Techniques
  • Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Cable Lateral Raise plateaus.
  • Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
  • Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
  • Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
Calculate working set loads →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize Cable Lateral Raise strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
  • Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
  • Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
  • Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform Cable Lateral Raise

  1. Attach a single handle to a low pulley on a cable machine.
  2. Stand sideways to the machine, with the handle in the hand farthest from the machine.
  3. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, and engage your core.
  4. Start with your arm at your side, slightly bent at the elbow.
  5. Slowly lift the handle out to the side until your arm is parallel to the floor.
  6. Pause briefly at the top of the movement.
  7. Lower the handle back to the starting position in a controlled manner.
  8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.

Read the complete Cable Lateral Raise guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Cable Lateral Raise

  • Keep your back straight and avoid leaning.
  • Move slowly and with control to maximize muscle engagement.
  • Avoid using momentum; focus on using your shoulder muscles.
  • Adjust the weight to ensure proper form throughout the exercise.

Where Do These Cable Lateral Raise 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 Cable Lateral Raise Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Cable Lateral Raise 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 Cable Lateral Raise 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" Cable Lateral Raise 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 Cable Lateral Raise 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.