A 180 lb male with an Intermediate-level One Arm Pulldown of 85 lbs ranks at the 50th percentile (FVCP), stronger than ~50% of lifters. An Advanced lifter at this weight lifts 155 lbs (0.86x bodyweight).
FitnessVolt Competition Percentile (FVCP), based on 2.5M+ verified competition results
How strong is your One Arm Pulldown? Compare your 1RM against standards for 21 bodyweight categories, from Beginner to Elite.
How Strong Is Your One Arm Pulldown?
How Much Should You One Arm Pulldown?
1RM weight (lbs) you should be able to lift at each standard, based on your bodyweight.
| BW (lbs) | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | 1 | 16 | 53 | 111 | 185 |
| 120 | 2 | 19 | 58 | 118 | 195 |
| 130 | 3 | 22 | 63 | 125 | 203 |
| 140 | 4 | 25 | 68 | 131 | 212 |
| 150 | 5 | 28 | 72 | 137 | 219 |
| 160 | 6 | 30 | 76 | 143 | 227 |
| 170 | 7 | 33 | 81 | 149 | 234 |
| 180 | 8 | 35 | 85 | 155 | 241 |
| 190 | 9 | 38 | 88 | 160 | 247 |
| 200 | 11 | 41 | 92 | 165 | 254 |
| 210 | 12 | 43 | 96 | 170 | 260 |
| 220 | 13 | 45 | 99 | 174 | 266 |
| 230 | 15 | 48 | 103 | 179 | 271 |
| 240 | 16 | 50 | 106 | 184 | 277 |
| 250 | 17 | 52 | 110 | 188 | 282 |
| 260 | 18 | 55 | 113 | 192 | 287 |
| 270 | 20 | 57 | 116 | 196 | 292 |
| 280 | 21 | 59 | 119 | 200 | 297 |
| 290 | 22 | 61 | 122 | 204 | 302 |
| 300 | 24 | 63 | 125 | 208 | 306 |
| 310 | 25 | 65 | 128 | 211 | 311 |
| 90 | 4 | 11 | 22 | 36 | 53 |
| 100 | 5 | 12 | 23 | 38 | 56 |
| 110 | 6 | 13 | 25 | 41 | 59 |
| 120 | 6 | 15 | 27 | 43 | 61 |
| 130 | 7 | 16 | 28 | 45 | 64 |
| 140 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 46 | 66 |
| 150 | 9 | 18 | 31 | 48 | 68 |
| 160 | 9 | 19 | 33 | 50 | 70 |
| 170 | 10 | 20 | 34 | 51 | 72 |
| 180 | 11 | 21 | 35 | 53 | 74 |
| 190 | 11 | 22 | 36 | 54 | 75 |
| 200 | 12 | 23 | 37 | 56 | 77 |
| 210 | 13 | 23 | 38 | 57 | 78 |
| 220 | 13 | 24 | 40 | 58 | 80 |
| 230 | 14 | 25 | 41 | 60 | 81 |
| 240 | 14 | 26 | 42 | 61 | 83 |
| 250 | 15 | 27 | 43 | 62 | 84 |
| 260 | 15 | 27 | 43 | 63 | 86 |
How Does Age Affect One Arm Pulldown Strength?
How One Arm Pulldown standards change across different age groups. Values represent a 1RM in lbs.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 6 | 29 | 71 | 131 | 207 |
| 20 | 7 | 33 | 81 | 150 | 237 |
| 25 | 7 | 34 | 83 | 154 | 243 |
| 30 | 7 | 34 | 83 | 154 | 243 |
| 35 | 7 | 34 | 83 | 154 | 243 |
| 40 | 7 | 34 | 83 | 154 | 243 |
| 45 | 7 | 32 | 79 | 146 | 230 |
| 50 | 6 | 30 | 74 | 137 | 216 |
| 55 | 6 | 28 | 68 | 127 | 200 |
| 60 | 5 | 25 | 62 | 116 | 182 |
| 65 | 5 | 23 | 56 | 105 | 165 |
| 70 | 4 | 20 | 51 | 94 | 148 |
| 75 | 4 | 18 | 45 | 84 | 132 |
| 80 | 3 | 16 | 40 | 75 | 118 |
| 85 | 3 | 15 | 36 | 67 | 106 |
| 90 | 3 | 13 | 33 | 61 | 96 |
| 15 | 6 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 57 |
| 20 | 7 | 16 | 29 | 46 | 66 |
| 25 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 67 |
| 30 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 67 |
| 35 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 67 |
| 40 | 8 | 17 | 30 | 47 | 67 |
| 45 | 7 | 16 | 28 | 45 | 64 |
| 50 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 60 |
| 55 | 6 | 14 | 25 | 39 | 56 |
| 60 | 6 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 51 |
| 65 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 32 | 46 |
| 70 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 29 | 41 |
| 75 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 26 | 37 |
| 80 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 33 |
| 85 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 21 | 29 |
| 90 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 19 | 27 |
What Do One Arm Pulldown Strength Standards Mean?
Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the One Arm Pulldown, 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 One Arm Pulldown 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 One Arm 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.
Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built substantial back development through the One Arm 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.
Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your One Arm 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 Pulldown
Tier-specific training recommendations to move your One Arm Pulldown to the next level.
- Train the One Arm 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.
- 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 Pulldown 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 One Arm 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.
- Maximize the One Arm 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.
How to Perform One Arm Pulldown
- Start by sitting on a bench or seat with a cable pulley machine adjusted to a high position.
- Grasp the handle with one hand, using an overhand grip.
- Keep your torso upright and your core engaged.
- Pull the handle down towards your shoulder, leading with your elbow and squeezing your lat at the bottom of the movement.
- Slowly return the handle to the starting position with controlled movement.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch to the other arm.
Tips for One Arm Pulldown
- Maintain a straight back and avoid leaning too far back.
- Focus on pulling with your back muscles rather than your arms.
- Control the weight throughout the movement to avoid using momentum.
- Keep your elbow close to your body during the pull.
Where Do These One Arm Pulldown Standards Come From?
These One Arm Pulldown standards are based on 2.5M+ verified competition results from powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide. Every number comes from a sanctioned meet with certified judges - not self-reported gym lifts. Data is sourced from OpenPowerlifting and other verified competition databases, ensuring accuracy you can trust.
Last Updated: March 30, 2026
Reviewed by the Fitness Volt Editorial Team, certified strength training analysts.
Is Your One Arm Pulldown Good for Your Weight?
Strength standards help you objectively measure your One Arm Pulldown performance relative to other lifters of the same bodyweight and sex. Here is how to interpret them:
- Find your bodyweight in the left column of the table above.
- Look across the row to find which strength level your 1RM falls into.
- Use the age tab to see how your strength compares within your age group.
- Switch between Male and Female standards using the toggle - each has its own dataset.
If you do not know your 1RM, use the E1RM Calculator to estimate it from any rep set. For example, if you can One Arm Pulldown 185 lbs for 5 reps, the calculator will estimate your max.
These standards are derived from 2.5M+ competition results across powerlifting, weightlifting, and strongman federations worldwide, combined with community training data.