Skip to content
smith upright row strength standards

What is a good smith upright row?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate smith upright row is about 102 lb (0.57x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 132 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 102 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 132 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 smith upright row

A solid (Intermediate) smith upright row for a 180 lb male is about 102 lb (0.57x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own smith upright row into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 132 lb (0.73x bodyweight).

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

smith upright row demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles delts
Equipment smith-machine
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Compound

Estimated Standards - The level table for this exercise is modeled from FitnessVolt strength ratios for a related base lift, not from direct measurements of this movement. Learn about our methodology

How Strong Is Your smith upright row?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 102 lbs (0.57x bodyweight) on the smith upright row 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 smith upright row entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

102 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.57x 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 smith upright 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 22 38 58 82 109
120 27 43 64 90 118
130 32 49 71 98 127
140 36 54 78 105 136
150 40 60 84 113 144
160 44 64 90 119 151
170 48 69 95 126 159
180 53 74 102 132 167
190 56 79 106 139 174
200 60 83 112 145 180
210 64 88 118 151 187
220 68 92 123 157 193
230 71 97 127 162 200
240 75 101 132 167 205
250 78 105 137 173 211
260 82 109 141 178 217
270 85 113 146 183 223
280 89 117 151 188 228
290 92 121 155 193 233
300 95 125 159 197 239
310 99 128 163 202 244

Is Your smith upright row Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) smith upright row is about 102 lb (0.57x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 132 lb (0.73x), and Elite is 167 lb (0.93x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) smith upright row is about 51 lb (0.36x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 72 lb (0.51x), and Elite is 96 lb (0.69x).

How Much Should You Be Able to smith upright row?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 102 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 53 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 51 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 20 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 84 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 123 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 99 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 88 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 smith upright row Strength?

How smith upright 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 39 60 85 115 148
20 45 68 97 131 169
25 46 69 99 134 174
30 46 69 99 134 174
35 46 69 99 134 174
40 46 69 99 134 174
45 43 66 95 127 165
50 41 62 88 120 154
55 38 57 82 111 143
60 34 53 75 102 130
65 32 47 67 92 118
70 28 43 61 82 106
75 25 38 54 74 95
80 22 34 48 66 85
85 20 30 43 59 76
90 18 27 39 53 68

What Do smith upright row Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are building the mind-muscle connection for the smith upright row, 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 smith upright row 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 smith upright 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.

Advanced

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

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your smith upright 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 smith upright row

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your smith upright row to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the smith upright 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.
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 smith upright row 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 smith upright 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.
Program your backoff sets →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize the smith upright 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.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform smith upright row

["Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing the smith machine.","Grasp the barbell with an overhand grip, hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.","Keep your back straight and your core engaged.","Pull the barbell up towards your chin, leading with your elbows.","Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower the barbell back down to the starting position.","Repeat for the desired number of repetitions."]

Read the complete smith upright row guide on FitnessVolt →

Where Do These smith upright 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 smith upright row Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your smith upright row 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 smith upright 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

A "good" smith upright row 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 smith upright row 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.