What is a good Inverted Row?
For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Inverted Row is about 19 reps. Advanced starts around 33 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) Inverted Row for a 180 lb male is about 19 reps. Use the calculator below to convert your own Inverted Row into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 33 reps.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How strong is your Inverted Row? Compare your max reps against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Many Inverted Row Should You Be Able to Do?
A fit adult man at about 180 lb should be able to do around 19 Inverted Row in one set, which is an Intermediate result. An advanced lifter does 33+, and an elite lifter reaches 48 or more.
Inverted Row rep targets for a 180 lb man, by training level:
Men vs women: a 180 lb man should do about 19 Inverted Row at an Intermediate level, while a 140 lb woman should do about 13.
By age: at an Intermediate level a 30 year old does about 19 Inverted Row, dropping to about 13 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 Inverted Row?
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 Inverted Row 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 Inverted 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 | < 1 | 3 | 16 | 34 | 54 |
| 120 | < 1 | 4 | 17 | 35 | 53 |
| 130 | < 1 | 5 | 18 | 34 | 53 |
| 140 | < 1 | 6 | 18 | 34 | 52 |
| 150 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 34 | 51 |
| 160 | < 1 | 7 | 19 | 34 | 50 |
| 170 | < 1 | 7 | 19 | 33 | 49 |
| 180 | < 1 | 7 | 19 | 33 | 48 |
| 190 | < 1 | 7 | 18 | 32 | 47 |
| 200 | < 1 | 8 | 18 | 31 | 46 |
| 210 | < 1 | 8 | 18 | 31 | 45 |
| 220 | < 1 | 8 | 18 | 30 | 44 |
| 230 | < 1 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 43 |
| 240 | < 1 | 8 | 17 | 29 | 42 |
| 250 | < 1 | 8 | 17 | 28 | 41 |
| 260 | < 1 | 7 | 17 | 28 | 40 |
| 270 | < 1 | 7 | 16 | 27 | 39 |
| 280 | < 1 | 7 | 16 | 27 | 38 |
| 290 | < 1 | 7 | 16 | 26 | 37 |
| 300 | < 1 | 7 | 15 | 26 | 36 |
| 310 | < 1 | 7 | 15 | 25 | 36 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 | 34 |
| 100 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 22 | 35 |
| 110 | < 1 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 35 |
| 120 | < 1 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 35 |
| 130 | < 1 | 4 | 13 | 24 | 35 |
| 140 | < 1 | 5 | 13 | 24 | 35 |
| 150 | < 1 | 6 | 14 | 24 | 34 |
| 160 | < 1 | 6 | 14 | 24 | 34 |
| 170 | < 1 | 6 | 14 | 23 | 33 |
| 180 | < 1 | 7 | 14 | 23 | 33 |
| 190 | < 1 | 7 | 14 | 23 | 32 |
| 200 | < 1 | 7 | 14 | 22 | 31 |
| 210 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 31 |
| 220 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 30 |
| 230 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 29 |
| 240 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 29 |
| 250 | < 1 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 28 |
| 260 | < 1 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 28 |
Is Your Inverted Row Good?
A quick read on what counts as a good Inverted Row at each level, for a typical male and female lifter.
Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Inverted Row is about 19 reps. Advanced lifters hit 33 reps, and Elite is 48 reps.
Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Inverted Row is about 13 reps. Advanced lifters hit 24 reps, and Elite is 35 reps.
Inverted Row Rep Targets by Bodyweight and Age
Men: a 180 lb male should do about 19 reps at an Intermediate level.
Women: a 140 lb female should do about 13 reps at an Intermediate level.
By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter does about 19 reps, and a 220 lb lifter does about 18 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 19 reps, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 13 reps. See the By Age tab for every age band.
FitnessVolt strength standards, with source populations labeled separately
How Does Age Affect Inverted Row Strength?
How Inverted 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 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 26 | 41 |
| 20 | < 1 | 5 | 17 | 34 | 52 |
| 25 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 54 |
| 30 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 54 |
| 35 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 54 |
| 40 | < 1 | 6 | 19 | 35 | 54 |
| 45 | < 1 | 4 | 16 | 32 | 50 |
| 50 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 28 | 45 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 10 | 24 | 39 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 19 | 33 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 15 | 27 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | 1 | 10 | 21 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 16 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 5 |
| 15 | < 1 | < 1 | 8 | 19 | 32 |
| 20 | < 1 | 1 | 12 | 26 | 41 |
| 25 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 43 |
| 30 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 43 |
| 35 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 43 |
| 40 | < 1 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 43 |
| 45 | < 1 | < 1 | 11 | 24 | 39 |
| 50 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 21 | 35 |
| 55 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 | 17 | 30 |
| 60 | < 1 | < 1 | 4 | 13 | 25 |
| 65 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 9 | 19 |
| 70 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 6 | 14 |
| 75 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 | 10 |
| 80 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 7 |
| 85 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | 3 |
| 90 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 | < 1 |
What Do Inverted Row Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the Inverted Row, learning to initiate the pull with your back rather than your arms, and developing basic grip strength.
Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Inverted Row with proper scapular retraction and a controlled range of motion. You are progressively overloading and building back thickness and lat width.
Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Inverted 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.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built substantial back development through the Inverted 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.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Inverted 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 Inverted Row
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Inverted Row to the next level.
- Train the Inverted 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.
- 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 Inverted Row at RPE 7-8, saving RPE 9 work for top sets only.
- Balance horizontal pulls (rows) with vertical pulls (pulldowns/pull-ups).
- Run 4-6 week blocks with progressive overload on the Inverted 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.
- Maximize the Inverted 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.
How to Perform Inverted Row
- Set a barbell in a rack at waist height or use a Smith machine.
- Lie on the floor beneath the bar and grab it with an overhand grip, hands shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your legs out straight with your heels on the ground and your body in a straight line.
- Engage your core and pull your chest toward the bar by squeezing your shoulder blades together.
- Pause briefly at the top, then slowly lower yourself back to the starting position.
Tips for Inverted Row
- Maintain a straight line from head to heels throughout the movement.
- Engage your core to avoid sagging or arching your back.
- Use a controlled motion, avoiding jerky or swinging movements.
- If the exercise is too difficult, bend your knees to reduce the load.
Where Do These Inverted 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 Inverted Row Good for Your Weight?
Use this page to compare your Inverted Row 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 Inverted 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
