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Cable One Arm Pulldown strength standards

What is a good Cable One Arm Pulldown?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Cable One Arm Pulldown is about 62 lb (0.34x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 80 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

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Cable One Arm Pulldown Standards by Bodyweight

Estimates from the FitnessVolt standards model, scaled from the Bench Press table by a fixed ratio of 0.28. 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 15 24 35 48 63
120 18 27 39 53 69
130 20 31 43 58 74
140 23 34 47 63 80
150 26 37 51 67 85
160 29 40 55 71 89
170 31 43 59 76 94
180 34 46 62 80 99
190 36 50 66 83 103
200 39 52 69 87 107
210 41 55 72 91 111
220 44 58 75 95 115
230 46 61 78 98 119
240 48 64 81 101 123
250 51 66 84 105 126
260 53 69 87 108 130
270 55 71 90 111 133
280 57 74 93 114 137
290 60 76 95 117 140
300 62 78 98 120 143
310 64 81 101 123 146

The Cable One Arm Pulldown standard at each level as bodyweight rises, for the sex selected above. Exact numbers in the table above.

Cable One Arm Pulldown Standards by Age

How the Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 25 37 52 69 89
20 28 42 59 80 102
25 29 43 61 81 104
30 29 43 61 81 104
35 29 43 61 81 104
40 29 43 61 81 104
45 27 41 58 77 99
50 26 38 54 73 93
55 24 36 50 67 86
60 22 32 46 61 78
65 20 29 41 55 71
70 18 26 37 50 64
75 16 24 33 45 57
80 14 21 30 40 51
85 13 19 27 36 46
90 11 17 24 32 41

The Cable One Arm Pulldown standard at each level as age rises, for the sex selected above. Exact numbers in the table above.

Check Your Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 62 lbs (0.34x bodyweight) on the Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown Strength Levels Mean

Beginner

You are building the mind-muscle connection for the Cable One Arm Pulldown, learning to initiate the pull with your back rather than your arms, and developing basic grip strength.

Novice

You can perform the Cable One Arm Pulldown with proper scapular retraction and a controlled range of motion. You are progressively overloading and building back thickness and lat width.

Intermediate

Your Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Cable One Arm Pulldown to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown.
  • 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown

Cable One Arm Pulldown demonstration
Primary Muscles lats
Equipment cable
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound
["Attach a single handle to a high pulley cable machine.","Stand facing the machine with your feet shoulder-width apart.","Grasp the handle with an overhand grip and extend your arm fully.","Keep your back straight and your core engaged.","Pull the handle down towards your side while keeping your elbow close to your body.","Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement, squeezing your lat muscle.","Slowly release the handle back to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.","Switch sides and repeat the exercise with the other arm."]

Read the complete Cable One Arm Pulldown guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These Cable One Arm Pulldown Standards Come From?

The levels on this page are estimates from the FitnessVolt strength standards model. The Cable One Arm Pulldown table is the Bench Press table scaled by a fixed FitnessVolt ratio of 0.28 (confidence: low). It is a set of targets, not a measured population. There is no competition or gym dataset for the Cable One Arm Pulldown 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" Cable One Arm Pulldown 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 One Arm Pulldown 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 Cable One Arm Pulldown table is the Bench Press table scaled by a fixed FitnessVolt ratio of 0.28 (confidence: low). 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.