Skip to content
Cable Pull Through strength standards

What is a good Cable Pull Through?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Cable Pull Through is about 139 lb (0.77x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 217 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 139 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 217 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 Pull Through

A solid (Intermediate) Cable Pull Through for a 180 lb male is about 139 lb (0.77x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Cable Pull Through into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 217 lb (1.21x bodyweight).

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

Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles Core, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back
Equipment Cable Machine, Rope Handle
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels

How Strong Is Your Cable Pull Through?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 139 lbs (0.77x bodyweight) on the Cable Pull Through 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 Pull Through entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

139 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.77x 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 Pull Through?

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 10 36 80 141 216
120 14 42 89 154 231
130 17 48 98 165 245
140 21 55 107 176 259
150 25 61 115 187 272
160 29 67 123 197 284
170 32 72 131 207 296
180 36 78 139 217 307
190 40 84 146 226 318
200 44 89 153 235 329
210 48 94 160 244 339
220 51 100 167 252 349
230 55 105 174 260 359
240 59 110 180 268 368
250 63 115 187 276 377
260 66 120 193 283 386
270 70 125 199 291 395
280 73 129 205 298 403
290 77 134 211 305 411
300 80 138 216 312 419
310 84 143 222 319 427

Is Your Cable Pull Through Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Cable Pull Through is about 139 lb (0.77x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 217 lb (1.21x), and Elite is 307 lb (1.71x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Cable Pull Through is about 93 lb (0.66x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 147 lb (1.05x), and Elite is 209 lb (1.49x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Cable Pull Through?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 139 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 36 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 93 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 23 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 115 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 167 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 132 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 117 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 Pull Through Strength?

How Cable Pull Through 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 25 60 112 181 262
20 28 68 128 207 300
25 29 70 132 213 308
30 29 70 132 213 308
35 29 70 132 213 308
40 29 70 132 213 308
45 28 66 125 202 292
50 26 62 117 189 274
55 24 58 109 175 254
60 22 53 99 160 232
65 20 48 89 145 209
70 18 43 80 130 188
75 16 38 72 116 168
80 14 34 64 104 150
85 13 31 58 93 135
90 12 28 52 84 121

What Do Cable Pull Through Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement path and resistance curve on the Cable Pull Through, 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Cable Pull Through to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Cable Pull Through 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 Pull Through.
  • 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through

  1. Attach a rope handle to the low pulley of a cable machine.
  2. Stand facing away from the machine with feet shoulder-width apart and grasp the rope handle between your legs with both hands.
  3. Step forward to create tension on the cable, then hinge at the hips, pushing your glutes back while keeping a slight bend in your knees.
  4. Lower your torso until it is nearly parallel to the floor, keeping your back flat and core engaged.
  5. Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position, squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
  6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Tips for Cable Pull Through

  • Keep your back flat and avoid rounding your spine to prevent injury.
  • Focus on hinging at the hips rather than squatting down.
  • Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement for maximum activation.
  • Use a weight that allows you to maintain proper form throughout the exercise.

Where Do These Cable Pull Through 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 28, 2026

Is Your Cable Pull Through Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Cable Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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 Pull Through 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.