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Cable Rear Pulldown strength standards

What is a good Cable Rear Pulldown?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Cable Rear Pulldown is about 106 lb (0.59x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 136 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

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Cable Rear Pulldown Standards by Bodyweight

Estimates from the FitnessVolt standards model, scaled from the Bench Press table by a fixed ratio of 0.48. 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 25 40 60 83 108
120 30 47 67 92 119
130 35 52 74 100 128
140 40 58 81 108 137
150 45 64 87 115 145
160 49 69 94 122 153
170 54 74 100 130 161
180 58 80 106 136 169
190 62 85 112 143 176
200 67 90 118 150 183
210 71 95 123 156 191
220 75 99 129 162 197
230 79 104 134 168 204
240 83 109 140 174 210
250 87 113 144 180 216
260 91 118 150 185 223
270 95 122 155 191 228
280 98 126 159 196 234
290 102 131 164 201 240
300 106 134 168 206 245
310 109 139 173 211 251

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

Cable Rear Pulldown Standards by Age

How the Cable Rear 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 42 63 89 119 152
20 48 72 101 136 174
25 49 74 104 140 179
30 49 74 104 140 179
35 49 74 104 140 179
40 49 74 104 140 179
45 47 70 99 132 169
50 44 66 93 124 159
55 41 61 86 115 147
60 37 55 78 105 134
65 34 50 71 95 121
70 30 45 63 85 109
75 27 40 57 76 97
80 24 36 51 68 87
85 22 32 46 61 78
90 20 29 41 55 70

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

Check Your Cable Rear 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 106 lbs (0.59x bodyweight) on the Cable Rear 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 Rear Pulldown Strength Levels Mean

Beginner

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

Novice

You can perform the Cable Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear Pulldown

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

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Cable Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear Pulldown

Cable Rear Pulldown demonstration
Primary Muscles lats
Equipment cable
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound
["Adjust the cable machine so that the pulley is at the highest position.","Sit facing the machine with your feet flat on the ground and your knees slightly bent.","Grasp the cable attachment with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Lean back slightly, keeping your back straight and your chest up.","Pull the cable attachment down towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.","Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement, then slowly release the cable back up to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete Cable Rear Pulldown guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These Cable Rear Pulldown Standards Come From?

The levels on this page are estimates from the FitnessVolt strength standards model. The Cable Rear Pulldown table is the Bench Press table scaled by a fixed FitnessVolt ratio of 0.48 (confidence: medium). It is a set of targets, not a measured population. There is no competition or gym dataset for the Cable Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear 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 Rear Pulldown table is the Bench Press table scaled by a fixed FitnessVolt ratio of 0.48 (confidence: medium). 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.