What is a good Clap Pull Up?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Clap Pull Up is about 11 reps. Advanced starts around 21 reps. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.
Competition results, gym submissions, and reader logs stay labeled separately so the ranking source is clear.
A solid (Intermediate) Clap Pull Up for a 180 lb male is about 11 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Clap Pull Up into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 21 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Clap Pull Up? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Clap Pull Up Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 11 Clap Pull Up in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 21+, and an elite lifter reaches 31 or more.
Clap Pull Up rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 11 Clap Pull Up at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 5.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 11 Clap Pull Up, dropping to about 8 by age 50. See the By Age tab for every band.
What counts as a good number? Anything at or above the Intermediate target puts you past the beginner and novice bands for your bodyweight. Beginners often start with fewer than one and build up; clearing the Advanced number is a strong target for trained gym lifters.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with gym and competition datasets labeled separately
How Strong Is Your Clap Pull Up?
That clears the median for this bodyweight and gives you a useful benchmark for the next tier.
Illustrative: a normal-distribution model anchored to the real Beginner to Elite percentile thresholds for your bodyweight. The marker shows where your rep count falls, not a measured frequency count.
Reader Data Is Still Building
We do not have enough reader-submitted Clap Pull Up entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:
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.
How Much Should You Clap Pull Up?
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 | < 1 | 2 | 12 | 25 | 40 |
| 120 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 38 |
| 130 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 24 | 37 |
| 140 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 36 |
| 150 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 35 |
| 160 | < 1 | 3 | 11 | 22 | 33 |
| 170 | < 1 | 3 | 11 | 21 | 32 |
| 180 | < 1 | 3 | 11 | 21 | 31 |
| 190 | < 1 | 3 | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| 200 | < 1 | 3 | 10 | 19 | 29 |
| 210 | < 1 | 2 | 10 | 18 | 28 |
| 220 | < 1 | 2 | 9 | 18 | 27 |
| 230 | < 1 | 2 | 9 | 17 | 26 |
| 240 | < 1 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
| 250 | < 1 | 1 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
| 260 | < 1 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 23 |
| 270 | < 1 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 22 |
| 280 | < 1 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 22 |
| 290 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 21 |
| 300 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
| 310 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 12 | 20 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 11 | 19 |
| 100 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 11 | 19 |
| 110 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 11 | 19 |
| 120 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 11 | 18 |
| 130 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 11 | 18 |
| 140 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 11 | 17 |
| 150 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 10 | 17 |
| 160 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 10 | 16 |
| 170 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| 180 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 |
| 190 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
| 200 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 9 | 14 |
| 210 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
| 220 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 230 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 8 | 12 |
| 240 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 250 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 7 | 11 |
| 260 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
Is Your Clap Pull Up Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Clap Pull Up at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Clap Pull Up is about 11 reps. Advanced lifters hit 21 reps, and Elite is 31 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Clap Pull Up is about 5 reps. Advanced lifters hit 11 reps, and Elite is 17 reps.
Clap Pull Up Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 11 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 5 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 12 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 9 reps at an Intermediate level. Find your exact bodyweight in the table above.
By age (men): at an Intermediate level a 30 year old male does about 11 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 8 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Clap Pull Up Strength?
How Clap Pull Up 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 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 16 | 27 |
| 20 | < 1 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 35 |
| 25 | < 1 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 37 |
| 30 | < 1 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 37 |
| 35 | < 1 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 37 |
| 40 | < 1 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 37 |
| 45 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 21 | 33 |
| 50 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 18 | 29 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 14 | 25 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 10 | 20 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 15 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 11 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 14 |
| 20 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 12 | 20 |
| 25 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 13 | 22 |
| 30 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 13 | 22 |
| 35 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 13 | 22 |
| 40 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 | 13 | 22 |
| 45 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 10 | 19 |
| 50 | < 1 | < 1 | 2 | 9 | 16 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 13 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 9 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
What Do Clap Pull Up Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the movement on the Clap Pull Up, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Clap Pull Up with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Clap Pull Up is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Clap Pull Up through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Clap Pull Up 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 Clap Pull Up
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Clap Pull Up to the next level.
- Train the Clap Pull Up 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.
- Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Clap Pull Up.
- 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.
- Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Clap Pull Up 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.
- Maximize Clap Pull Up 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.
How to Perform Clap Pull Up
- Start by hanging from a pull-up bar with a shoulder-width grip, palms facing away from you.
- Engage your core and scapular muscles, then pull your body upwards explosively.
- As your chin clears the bar, release your hands quickly and clap in front of your chest.
- Immediately re-grip the bar and control your descent back to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Tips for Clap Pull Up
- Ensure a strong, secure grip on the bar to prevent slipping.
- Focus on an explosive upward movement to generate enough momentum for the clap.
- Keep your core tight throughout the exercise to maintain stability.
- Start with regular pull-ups to build strength before attempting clap pull-ups.
- Avoid using momentum from swinging your legs; rely on upper body strength.
Where Do These Clap Pull Up 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 Clap Pull Up Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Clap Pull Up against clearly labeled standards and percentile datasets. Here is the cleanest way to read it:
- Start with Standards to find the tier closest to your bodyweight.
- Use Gym Percentiles when you want self-reported gym comparisons.
- Use Competition for verified meet-result percentiles where the lift supports it.
- 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 Clap Pull Up 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
