Face Pulls

How To Do Cable Face Pulls
  • Reach up and grasp the handles with both hands with your palms facing in. Step back until your arms are fully extended, then engage your core and lean back slightly, positioning your body at a roughly 20-degree angle.
  • Pull the rope toward you just enough to start lifting the weight from the stack, then engage your shoulders, rolling them back to create good posture—you don’t want your shoulders hunching or rolling forward. This is your starting position.
  • Pull the handles of the attachment straight toward your forehead. Keep your palms facing in as your elbows flare outward toward the sides, engaging the rear delts.
  • Reverse the movement and slowly extend your arms without allowing your shoulders or chest to roll forward as you extend. You want to maintain good posture throughout the exercise.
What Muscles Do Face Pulls Work?

Face pulls primarily target the posterior deltoids of the shoulder, the muscles responsible for moving your arms backward, which are often overlooked in other shoulder exercises. This exercise involves using a cable pulley machine to pull the weight directly toward your forehead.

Benefits of Face Pulls

Face pulls are an effective exercise for strengthening the rear deltoids, trapezius, and upper back muscles, helping to balance the shoulders and prevent the “hunched forward” posture caused by overtraining the chest and front delts. According to Robert Herbst, a 19-time World Champion powerlifter, face pulls also support building a strong upper back, essential for stability in exercises like the bench press. Since the rear delts are often undertrained compared to the anterior and lateral heads of the deltoid, incorporating face pulls can improve posture, prevent shoulder pain, and enhance overall shoulder strength for daily activities like lifting, pulling, and rotating.

What are the Variations of Face Pulls?

Try Resistance Bands: If you have heavy-duty resistance bands, you can loop them over a high attachment point, like a pull-up bar, to mimic the face pull movement. This is a great option for beginners training their rear delts, though the resistance may be insufficient for advanced exercisers. However, exercise safety experts warn against using bands near your face, as they can pose a risk of injury if they slip or break.

Use Dumbbells: If you do not have access to a cable machine or resistance bands, you can use dumbbells to perform rear delt-focused exercises, like the rear delt dumbbell fly. While it is not a perfect substitute for face pulls, it effectively targets the same muscle groups.

Try Seated Face Pulls: For building muscle and lifting heavier weights, perform face pulls in a seated position. Sitting helps stabilize your torso, preventing the use of your hips and lower body, which can reduce the load on your deltoids.

Source:

Preece, J. (n.d.). Face pulls: An exercise for stronger shoulders. Verywell Fit. Retrieved January 28, 2025, from https://www.verywellfit.com/face-pulls-exercise-for-stronger-shoulders-4161298