Skip to content
Cable Upright Row strength standards

What is a good Cable Upright Row?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Cable Upright Row is about 155 lb (0.86x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 231 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 155 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 231 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 Upright Row

A solid (Intermediate) Cable Upright Row for a 180 lb male is about 155 lb (0.86x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Cable Upright Row into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 231 lb (1.28x bodyweight).

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

Cable Upright Row demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Equipment Cable Machine
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

How Strong Is Your Cable Upright Row?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 155 lbs (0.86x bodyweight) on the Cable Upright Row 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 Upright Row entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

155 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.86x 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 Upright Row?

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 26 60 111 177 254
120 30 66 118 186 265
130 33 71 125 195 275
140 37 76 131 203 285
150 40 80 138 210 294
160 43 85 144 218 303
170 46 89 149 225 311
180 49 93 155 231 319
190 52 98 160 238 326
200 55 102 165 244 334
210 58 105 170 250 341
220 61 109 175 256 347
230 64 113 179 261 354
240 66 116 184 267 360
250 69 120 188 272 366
260 71 123 192 277 372
270 74 126 196 282 378
280 76 130 200 286 383
290 79 133 204 291 388
300 81 136 208 296 394
310 83 139 212 300 399

Is Your Cable Upright Row Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Cable Upright Row is about 155 lb (0.86x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 231 lb (1.28x), and Elite is 319 lb (1.77x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Cable Upright Row is about 69 lb (0.49x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 105 lb (0.75x), and Elite is 148 lb (1.06x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Cable Upright Row?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 155 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 49 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 69 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 19 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 138 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 175 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 152 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 136 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 Upright Row Strength?

How Cable Upright Row 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 39 77 130 196 273
20 45 88 148 225 312
25 46 90 152 231 320
30 46 90 152 231 320
35 46 90 152 231 320
40 46 90 152 231 320
45 44 86 144 219 304
50 41 80 136 205 285
55 38 74 125 190 264
60 35 68 114 173 241
65 31 61 103 157 218
70 28 55 93 141 195
75 25 49 83 126 175
80 22 44 74 112 156
85 20 39 67 101 140
90 18 36 60 91 126

What Do Cable Upright Row Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the Cable Upright Row, 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Cable Upright Row to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Cable Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row.
  • 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row

  1. Attach a straight bar to a low pulley on a cable machine.
  2. Stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart, grasping the bar with an overhand grip, hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width.
  3. Start with the bar at your thighs, arms fully extended, and shoulders relaxed.
  4. Inhale and pull the bar upwards towards your chin, keeping it close to your body.
  5. Lead with your elbows, which should remain higher than your forearms throughout the movement.
  6. Pause briefly at the top when the bar reaches the chest or chin level.
  7. Exhale and slowly lower the bar back to the starting position with controlled movement.
  8. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Read the complete Cable Upright Row guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Cable Upright Row

  • Keep your back straight and core engaged throughout the movement.
  • Avoid using momentum or swinging the weight.
  • Do not pull the bar too high to prevent shoulder impingement.
  • If you experience shoulder pain, consider a wider grip or different exercise.

Where Do These Cable Upright Row 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 Upright Row Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Cable Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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 Upright Row 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.