Skip to content
One Arm Lat Pulldown strength standards

What is a good One Arm Lat Pulldown?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate One Arm Lat Pulldown is about 90 lb (0.5x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 131 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 90 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 131 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 One Arm Lat Pulldown

A solid (Intermediate) One Arm Lat Pulldown for a 180 lb male is about 90 lb (0.5x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own One Arm Lat Pulldown into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 131 lb (0.73x bodyweight).

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

One Arm Lat Pulldown demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

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

How Strong Is Your One Arm Lat Pulldown?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 90 lbs (0.5x bodyweight) on the One Arm 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.

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 One Arm Lat Pulldown entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

90 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.5x 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 One Arm 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 11 27 52 84 123
120 14 32 58 92 132
130 17 36 64 99 141
140 20 40 69 106 149
150 23 44 74 113 157
160 25 48 80 119 164
170 28 52 85 125 171
180 31 56 90 131 178
190 34 60 94 137 185
200 37 63 99 142 191
210 40 67 104 148 198
220 42 71 108 153 204
230 45 74 112 158 209
240 48 77 116 163 215
250 50 81 120 168 221
260 53 84 124 173 226
270 55 87 128 177 231
280 58 90 132 182 236
290 60 94 136 186 241
300 63 97 140 190 246
310 65 100 143 195 251

Is Your One Arm Lat Pulldown Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) One Arm Lat Pulldown is about 90 lb (0.5x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 131 lb (0.73x), and Elite is 178 lb (0.99x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) One Arm Lat Pulldown is about 43 lb (0.31x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 61 lb (0.44x), and Elite is 81 lb (0.58x).

How Much Should You Be Able to One Arm Lat Pulldown?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 90 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 31 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 43 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 17 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 74 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 108 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 86 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 77 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 One Arm Lat Pulldown Strength?

How One Arm 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 22 44 73 111 154
20 26 50 84 127 176
25 26 51 86 130 180
30 26 51 86 130 180
35 26 51 86 130 180
40 26 51 86 130 180
45 25 49 82 123 171
50 23 46 77 116 161
55 22 42 71 107 149
60 20 39 65 98 136
65 18 35 59 88 123
70 16 31 53 79 110
75 14 28 47 71 98
80 13 25 42 63 88
85 12 22 38 57 79
90 10 20 34 51 71

What Do One Arm Lat Pulldown Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

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

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

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

  1. Attach a single handle to the high pulley of a lat pulldown machine.
  2. Sit down on the machine, facing forward with your feet flat on the floor and your thighs secured under the support pads.
  3. Grasp the handle with one hand, using an overhand grip (palm facing away from you).
  4. Extend your arm fully and lean back slightly, keeping your spine neutral and your core engaged.
  5. Pull the handle down towards your shoulder, leading with your elbow, until your hand is level with your chest.
  6. Squeeze your shoulder blade down and back as you complete the pull.
  7. Slowly return the handle to the starting position, fully extending your arm.
  8. Perform the desired number of repetitions before switching to the other arm.

Read the complete One Arm Lat Pulldown guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for One Arm Lat Pulldown

  • Keep your core engaged to maintain a stable torso throughout the exercise.
  • Avoid leaning too far back or using momentum to pull the handle down.
  • Focus on a slow and controlled movement, especially during the eccentric (return) phase.
  • Ensure even development by performing equal repetitions on both arms.

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

Use this page to compare your One Arm 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 One Arm 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" One Arm 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 One Arm 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

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.