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cable pulldown strength standards

What is a good cable pulldown?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate cable pulldown is about 122 lb (0.68x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 156 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 122 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 156 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 pulldown

A solid (Intermediate) cable pulldown for a 180 lb male is about 122 lb (0.68x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own cable pulldown into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 156 lb (0.87x bodyweight).

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

cable pulldown demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles lats
Equipment cable
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 cable pulldown?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 122 lbs (0.68x bodyweight) on the cable pulldown 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 cable pulldown entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

122 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.68x 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 pulldown?

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 29 46 69 95 124
120 35 53 77 105 136
130 40 60 85 114 146
140 46 67 93 123 157
150 51 73 100 132 166
160 56 79 108 140 175
170 62 85 115 149 185
180 67 91 122 156 194
190 72 97 129 164 202
200 76 103 135 172 210
210 81 108 141 179 218
220 86 114 148 186 226
230 91 119 154 193 234
240 95 125 160 199 241
250 100 130 166 206 248
260 105 135 172 212 255
270 108 140 177 218 262
280 113 145 183 224 268
290 117 150 188 230 275
300 121 154 193 236 281
310 125 159 198 241 288

Is Your cable pulldown Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) cable pulldown is about 122 lb (0.68x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 156 lb (0.87x), and Elite is 194 lb (1.08x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) cable pulldown is about 59 lb (0.42x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 86 lb (0.61x), and Elite is 115 lb (0.82x).

How Much Should You Be Able to cable pulldown?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 122 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 67 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 59 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 22 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 100 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 148 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 119 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 106 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 pulldown Strength?

How cable pulldown 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 48 72 102 136 174
20 56 83 116 156 200
25 57 85 119 160 205
30 57 85 119 160 205
35 57 85 119 160 205
40 57 85 119 160 205
45 54 80 113 152 194
50 51 75 106 142 182
55 47 70 98 132 168
60 43 63 90 120 154
65 39 57 81 109 139
70 35 52 73 97 125
75 31 46 65 87 112
80 28 41 58 78 100
85 25 37 52 70 90
90 23 33 47 63 80

What Do cable pulldown Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the cable pulldown, 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 cable pulldown 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 cable 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

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built substantial back development through the cable 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

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your cable 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 pulldown

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your cable pulldown to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the cable 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 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 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 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 pulldown

["Adjust the cable pulldown machine so that the seat is at a comfortable height and the knee pad is secured.","Sit on the seat with your back straight and your feet flat on the ground.","Grasp the cable bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Lean back slightly and engage your core.","Pull the cable bar down towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.","Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement, then slowly release the bar back to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete cable pulldown guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These cable pulldown 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 pulldown Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your cable pulldown 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 pulldown 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 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 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.
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.