Barbell Row Standards for Men and Women

A 185 lb (83.9 kg) barbell row is roughly equivalent to a 220 to 245 lb (99.8 to 111.1 kg) bench press, which would beat about 19.9% to 32.2% of male competitive powerlifters in the OpenPowerlifting dataset.

The barbell row has never been a competition lift, so its standards must be anchored to one that is. In balanced lifters, horizontal pulling roughly mirrors horizontal pressing: large lift databases put the strict bent-over row at about 75 to 85 percent of the bench press, and coaching tradition treats a row that approaches the bench as a mark of healthy shoulder balance.

The tables below apply that band to our real bench press percentiles. The numbers assume a strict row (torso near horizontal, no body english); the touch-and-heave style seen in most gyms can exceed these figures while moving less actual back strength.

Barbell Row 1RM (lb)

Estimated Barbell Row standards by bodyweight

Each cell is the real bench press percentile for that bodyweight class multiplied by the ratio midpoint (80%). True values vary within the 75 to 85% band.

Men (lb)

Bodyweight class	Lifters	25th	50th	75th	90th	99th
under 123 lb	8,888	70	105	135	170	265
123-140 lb	17,458	125	150	175	205	270
140-160 lb	45,811	150	180	205	235	280
160-180 lb	79,997	180	205	240	265	315
180-200 lb	84,555	200	230	260	290	350
200-220 lb	58,728	210	245	280	315	370
220-240 lb	45,150	225	265	300	335	395
240-260 lb	23,041	230	275	320	355	420
over 260 lb	34,269	245	290	340	380	455

Women (lb)

Bodyweight class	Lifters	25th	50th	75th	90th	99th
under 123 lb	29,951	70	85	100	120	160
123-140 lb	36,788	85	95	120	135	175
140-160 lb	36,704	90	105	125	145	190
160-180 lb	24,478	95	110	130	160	210
180-200 lb	13,685	95	115	135	160	220
200-220 lb	6,252	95	115	135	165	215
220-240 lb	4,134	100	120	140	165	220
240-260 lb	2,508	105	125	145	170	230
over 260 lb	3,265	110	130	165	185	255

Men (kg)

Bodyweight class	Lifters	25th	50th	75th	90th	99th
under 56 kg	8,888	32.5	47.5	62.5	77.5	120
56-64 kg	17,458	55	67.5	80	92.5	122.5
64-73 kg	45,811	67.5	82.5	95	105	127.5
73-82 kg	79,997	82.5	95	107.5	120	142.5
82-91 kg	84,555	90	105	117.5	132.5	157.5
91-100 kg	58,728	95	112.5	127.5	142.5	167.5
100-109 kg	45,150	102.5	120	135	152.5	180
109-118 kg	23,041	105	125	145	160	190
over 118 kg	34,269	112.5	132.5	155	172.5	207.5

Women (kg)

Bodyweight class	Lifters	25th	50th	75th	90th	99th
under 56 kg	29,951	32.5	37.5	45	55	72.5
56-64 kg	36,788	37.5	45	52.5	62.5	80
64-73 kg	36,704	40	47.5	55	65	87.5
73-82 kg	24,478	42.5	50	60	72.5	95
82-91 kg	13,685	42.5	52.5	62.5	72.5	100
91-100 kg	6,252	45	52.5	62.5	75	97.5
100-109 kg	4,134	45	55	65	75	100
109-118 kg	2,508	47.5	55	65	77.5	105
over 118 kg	3,265	50	60	75	85	115

Methodology

No competition data exists for the barbell row. These estimated tables are derived from real bench press competition percentiles using the disclosed 75 to 85% ratio band.

Strict rowing strength tracks pressing strength in balanced lifters, and the load is usually capped by the isometric hip hinge holding position before the lats and upper back actually fail.

The ratio comes from:

The underlying percentiles come from 397,897 men and 157,765 women with raw competition bench press results in the public domain OpenPowerlifting dataset (snapshot 2026-07-11).

Frequently asked questions

How much should I barbell row compared to bench press?

A strict bent-over row around 75 to 85 percent of your bench 1RM indicates balanced horizontal pressing and pulling. A 225 lb (102 kg) bench suggests a strict row around 170 to 190 lb (77 to 86 kg).

Do these standards assume strict form?

Yes, and it matters a lot. These figures assume a torso near horizontal and no momentum. A row with heavy body english can beat these numbers by 20 percent or more while training the back less.

Are these real barbell row standards?

They are estimates, labeled as such: our real bench press competition percentiles multiplied by the sourced 75 to 85 percent balance ratio. The barbell row has no competition dataset to draw from.