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Spider Curl strength standards

What is a good Spider Curl?

For a 180 lb male, an Intermediate Spider Curl is about 77 lb (0.43x bodyweight). Advanced starts around 126 lb. Enter your own bodyweight below to get the exact standard and FVCP rank.

Good target 77 lb Intermediate at 180 lb
Next tier 126 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 Spider Curl

A solid (Intermediate) Spider Curl for a 180 lb male is about 77 lb (0.43x bodyweight). Use the calculator below to convert your own Spider Curl into an FVCP percentile for your bodyweight. An Advanced lifter at this weight reaches 126 lb (0.7x bodyweight).

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

Spider Curl demonstration
Estimated Standards

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

Primary Muscles Biceps, Forearms
Equipment Incline Bench, Dumbbells or Barbell
Standards Coverage 21 bodyweights × 5 levels
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Isolation

How Strong Is Your Spider Curl?

Intermediate (competition scale)
Typical FVCP: 50th percentile
A 180 lb male lifting 77 lbs (0.43x bodyweight) on the Spider Curl 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 Spider Curl entries yet to publish a stable crowd benchmark. Until then, this panel shows the Intermediate standards baseline only:

77 lb Typical 1RM (Intermediate)
0.43x 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 Spider Curl?

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 4 19 46 85 133
120 6 22 51 92 142
130 7 25 56 98 150
140 9 28 60 104 157
150 11 31 65 110 164
160 13 34 69 115 171
170 14 37 73 121 177
180 16 40 77 126 184
190 18 43 81 131 190
200 20 46 85 136 195
210 22 49 89 140 201
220 23 51 92 145 206
230 25 54 96 149 212
240 27 56 99 154 217
250 29 59 102 158 222
260 30 61 106 162 226
270 32 64 109 166 231
280 34 66 112 170 236
290 35 69 115 173 240
300 37 71 118 177 244
310 39 73 121 180 248

Is Your Spider Curl Good?

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

Men (180 lb): a good (Intermediate) Spider Curl is about 77 lb (0.43x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 126 lb (0.7x), and Elite is 184 lb (1.02x).

Women (140 lb): a good (Intermediate) Spider Curl is about 52 lb (0.37x bodyweight). Advanced lifters hit 80 lb (0.57x), and Elite is 112 lb (0.8x).

How Much Should You Be Able to Spider Curl?

Men: a 180 lb male should lift about 77 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 16 lb).

Women: a 140 lb female should lift about 52 lb at an Intermediate level (a beginner target is around 14 lb).

By bodyweight (men): A 150 lb lifter lifts about 65 lb, and a 220 lb lifter lifts about 92 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 73 lb, while by age 50 the Intermediate standard is about 65 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 Spider Curl Strength?

How Spider Curl 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 11 31 62 104 154
20 13 35 71 119 176
25 13 36 73 122 181
30 13 36 73 122 181
35 13 36 73 122 181
40 13 36 73 122 181
45 12 34 69 116 171
50 12 32 65 108 161
55 11 30 60 100 149
60 10 27 55 92 136
65 9 25 49 83 123
70 8 22 44 74 110
75 7 20 40 66 98
80 6 18 35 59 88
85 6 16 32 53 79
90 5 14 29 48 71

What Do Spider Curl Strength Standards Mean?

Beginner

Stronger than 5% of lifters. You are learning the bar path and loading on the Spider Curl, building the controlled movement pattern and mind-muscle connection needed to train the target muscle effectively.

Novice

Stronger than 20% of lifters. You can perform the Spider Curl with strict form and a smooth tempo. You are adding resistance progressively without sacrificing range of motion or using body English.

Intermediate

Stronger than 50% of lifters. Your Spider Curl is performed with excellent control and targeted tension. You use RPE to manage isolation work intensity and program it strategically within your training split.

Advanced

Stronger than 80% of lifters. You have built significant strength on the Spider Curl through disciplined, progressive training. You employ advanced techniques like drop sets, pauses, and tempo work to continue driving adaptation.

Elite

Stronger than 95% of lifters. Your Spider Curl strength is at the upper end of what most lifters achieve. You have maximized the target muscle development through years of focused, periodized isolation work.

How to Progress Your Spider Curl

Tier-specific training recommendations to move your Spider Curl to the next level.

Beginner → Novice Building Your Foundation
  • Train the Spider Curl 2x per week with slow, controlled reps.
  • Focus on full range of motion and eliminating momentum or swinging.
  • Keep sets at RPE 6-7 to develop proper movement patterns.
  • Build the mind-muscle connection - feel the target muscle working on every rep.
Track progress with the one rep max calculator →
Novice → Intermediate Structured Progression
  • Increase load progressively while keeping strict form on the Spider Curl.
  • Program 3-4 sets of 8-15 reps at RPE 7-8.
  • Add a variation (different grip, angle, or equipment) to address development gaps.
  • Place isolation work after your primary compound movements.
Plan your RPE-based sessions →
Intermediate → Advanced Advanced Isolation Techniques
  • Use drop sets, paused reps, and partial reps to break through Spider Curl plateaus.
  • Train at RPE 8-9 with advanced intensity techniques on your last 1-2 sets.
  • Manipulate tempo to increase time under tension without compromising form.
  • Manage total volume for the target muscle group across all exercises.
Calculate working set loads →
Advanced → Elite Mastery
  • Maximize Spider Curl strength through precise programming and fatigue management.
  • Use periodized blocks to cycle between volume, intensity, and deload phases.
  • Quality of contraction matters more than load at this level.
  • Continuous refinement of technique will yield the remaining gains.
View RPE-to-percentage chart →

How to Perform Spider Curl

  1. Adjust an incline bench to a 45-degree angle.
  2. Lie face down on the bench, chest and stomach supported, with your feet firmly planted on the floor.
  3. Hold a barbell or dumbbells with an underhand grip (palms facing up), arms fully extended downward.
  4. Keep your upper arms stationary and close to the bench, and curl the weight towards your shoulders by contracting your biceps.
  5. Pause and squeeze your biceps at the top of the movement.
  6. Slowly lower the weight back to the starting position, maintaining control throughout the descent.
  7. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

Read the complete Spider Curl guide on FitnessVolt →

Tips for Spider Curl

  • Focus on slow and controlled movements to maximize muscle tension.
  • Keep your upper arms stationary to isolate the biceps effectively.
  • Avoid using momentum to lift the weight; ensure the biceps are doing the work.
  • Exhale while curling the weight up and inhale while lowering it down.

Where Do These Spider Curl 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 Spider Curl Good for Your Weight?

Use this page to compare your Spider Curl 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 Spider Curl 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" Spider Curl 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 Spider Curl 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.