Skip to content
Face Pull strength standards

What is a good Face Pull?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Face Pull is about 106 lb (0.59x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 161 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 106 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 161 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 Face Pull

A solid (Intermediate) Face Pull for a 180 lb male is about 106 lb (0.59x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Face Pull into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 161 lb (0.89x bodyweight).

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

Face Pull demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles Trapezius, Upper Back, Rotator Cuff, Posterior Deltoid
Equipment Cable Machine with Rope Attachment or Resistance Band
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

How Strong Is Your Face Pull?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 106 lbs (0.59x bodyweight) on the Face Pull 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 Face Pull entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

106 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.59x 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 Face Pull?

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 30 62 105 156
120 13 35 69 114 167
130 16 40 76 123 178
140 20 45 82 131 188
150 23 49 88 139 197
160 26 54 94 146 206
170 29 58 100 154 215
180 32 63 106 161 223
190 35 67 112 168 231
200 38 71 117 174 239
210 41 76 122 181 247
220 44 80 128 187 254
230 47 84 133 193 261
240 50 87 137 199 268
250 53 91 142 204 274
260 56 95 147 210 281
270 59 99 151 215 287
280 62 102 156 221 293
290 64 106 160 226 299
300 67 109 164 231 305
310 70 113 169 236 311

Is Your Face Pull Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Face Pull is about 106 lb (0.59x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 161 lb (0.89x), and Elite is 223 lb (1.24x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Face Pull is about 72 lb (0.51x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 109 lb (0.78x), and Elite is 150 lb (1.07x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Face Pull?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 106 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 32 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 72 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 23 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 88 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 128 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 101 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 90 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 Face Pull Strength?

How Face Pull 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 23 49 86 134 190
20 26 56 98 153 217
25 27 57 101 157 223
30 27 57 101 157 223
35 27 57 101 157 223
40 27 57 101 157 223
45 25 54 96 149 211
50 24 51 90 140 198
55 22 47 83 129 183
60 20 43 76 118 167
65 18 39 69 107 151
70 16 35 62 96 136
75 15 31 55 86 121
80 13 28 49 77 108
85 12 25 44 69 97
90 11 22 40 62 88

What Do Face Pull Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

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

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

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Face Pull 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 Face Pull 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 Face Pull.
  • 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 Face Pull 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 Face Pull

  1. Attach a rope handle to a high pulley on a cable machine.
  2. Stand facing the machine, feet shoulder-width apart, grasping the rope with an overhand grip and arms fully extended.
  3. Engage your core and maintain a slight bend in the knees.
  4. Pull the rope towards your face, flaring your elbows out and squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause briefly at the peak contraction, ensuring your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
  6. Slowly return to the starting position, maintaining control of the movement.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, exhaling as you pull and inhaling as you return.

Read the complete Face Pull guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Face Pull

  • Keep your core engaged to prevent arching your lower back.
  • Focus on squeezing your shoulder blades together at the peak of the movement.
  • Avoid using momentum; control the movement throughout.
  • Adjust the height of the pulley to align with your face for optimal form.

Where Do These Face Pull 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 Face Pull Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Face Pull 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 Face Pull 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" Face Pull 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 Face Pull 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.