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Lat Pulldown strength standards

What is a good Lat Pulldown?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Lat Pulldown is about 187 lb (1.04x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 246 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 187 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 246 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 Lat Pulldown

A solid (Intermediate) Lat Pulldown for a 180 lb male is about 187 lb (1.04x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Lat Pulldown into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 246 lb (1.37x bodyweight).

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

Lat Pulldown demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles Biceps, Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Trapezius, Posterior Deltoid
Equipment Lat Pulldown Machine
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

How Strong Is Your Lat Pulldown?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 187 lbs (1.04x bodyweight) on the Lat Pulldown 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.

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to track your progress over time.

Reader Data Is Still Building

We do not have enough reader-submitted Lat Pulldown entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

187 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
1.04x 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 Lat Pulldown?

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 54 86 128 177 232
120 60 94 137 189 245
130 66 102 146 199 258
140 72 109 155 210 269
150 78 116 164 219 280
160 84 123 172 229 291
170 89 130 180 238 301
180 95 136 187 246 311
190 100 142 194 255 320
200 105 148 201 263 329
210 110 154 208 270 338
220 115 159 215 278 346
230 119 165 221 285 354
240 124 170 227 292 362
250 128 176 233 299 369
260 132 181 239 305 377
270 137 186 245 312 384
280 141 190 250 318 391
290 145 195 256 324 397
300 149 200 261 330 404
310 153 204 266 336 410

Is Your Lat Pulldown Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Lat Pulldown is about 187 lb (1.04x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 246 lb (1.37x), and Elite is 311 lb (1.73x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Lat Pulldown is about 100 lb (0.71x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 138 lb (0.99x), and Elite is 180 lb (1.29x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Lat Pulldown?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 187 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 95 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 100 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 43 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 164 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 215 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 180 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 161 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 Lat Pulldown Strength?

How Lat Pulldown 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 72 108 154 207 266
20 82 124 176 237 304
25 85 127 180 243 312
30 85 127 180 243 312
35 85 127 180 243 312
40 85 127 180 243 312
45 80 120 171 231 296
50 75 113 161 217 278
55 70 104 149 200 257
60 64 95 136 183 234
65 57 86 122 165 212
70 52 77 110 148 190
75 46 69 98 133 170
80 41 62 88 118 152
85 37 55 79 106 136
90 33 50 71 96 123

What Do Lat Pulldown Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

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

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built substantial back development through the Lat 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

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Lat 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 Lat Pulldown

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

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Lat 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 Lat 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 Lat 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 Lat 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 Lat Pulldown

  1. Sit down at the lat pulldown machine and adjust the thigh pads to secure your legs.
  2. Grasp the bar with a wide overhand grip, palms facing forward.
  3. Begin with your arms fully extended above your head and back straight.
  4. Pull the bar down towards your chest, squeezing your shoulder blades together.
  5. Pause briefly at the bottom of the movement.
  6. Slowly return the bar to the starting position with controlled movement.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Read the complete Lat Pulldown guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Lat Pulldown

  • Maintain a straight back and avoid swinging your torso.
  • Engage your core throughout the movement.
  • Exhale as you pull the bar down and inhale as you return it to the starting position.
  • Avoid using momentum; focus on controlled, deliberate movements.

Where Do These Lat Pulldown 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 Lat Pulldown Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Lat Pulldown 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 Lat Pulldown 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" Lat 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 Lat 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.
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

Compare Lat Pulldown

See how Lat Pulldown standards compare side by side with other exercises.

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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.