Face pulls may get little recognition, but they can enable you to train harder every single day. They are a great movement to add to any pressing or overhead performance day, such as before heavy bench press sessions, in dynamic warm-up areas before weightlifting meets, or even in the bullpen after pitching a no-hitter. In this article, we will discuss the face pull and how it can improve both strength and shoulder health at the same time.
Editor’s Note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. When starting a new training regimen and/or diet, it is always a good idea to consult with a trusted medical professional. We are not a medical resource. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. They are not substitutes for consulting a qualified medical professional.
How To Do the Face Pull
- Set the Height: Set an adjustable cable fixture with a rope attachment to roughly eye level.
- Grip and Brace: Grab the ends of the rope and step back to pull the cable taut with your arms extended in front of you.
- Pull and Rotate: Pull the center of the rope towards your face by driving your elbows back behind your shoulders while attempting to pull the rope apart with your hands.
Coach’s Tip: A good face pull involves rotating your shoulder externally. As you pull, think about “opening up” and showing the inside of your arm to the cable in front of you.
Face Pull Variations
Below are two face pull variations you can integrate into your workout routine to add variety, increase strength and muscle hypertrophy of the rear deltoids, and better fit your needs based on your individual setup.
Dumbbell Face Pull
[Read More: Squatting Face Pull – Exercise Demo and Benefits]
- Stand upright while holding a light pair of dumbbells in each hand.
- Perform a hip hinge and push your butt back until your torso is roughly parallel to the floor.
- Allow your arms to hang down loosely underneath your shoulders.
- Pull the weights up toward your collarbones by driving your elbows behind you.
- As you pull, rotate your arms such that the insides of your upper arms point towards the floor.
If you don’t have access to cables or a resistance band, you can do a face pull with dumbbells. By hinging at the hips and bending over so your torso is parallel to the ground, you can pull the dumbbells up towards your ears in the same manner. Note that you should probably use very light weights for this variation to stimulate the target muscles.
Band Face Pull
[Read More: The 13 Best Upper Back Exercises For Strength, Size, and Posture]
- Tie a lightweight resistance band around a stable structure at roughly collarbone height.
- Grab the free end of the band and step backward to pull it taut.
- Pull the band toward your face making an active effort to pull it apart as it nears your face.
You can easily pack a resistance band in your gym bag and perform banded face pulls anywhere. This face pull variation doesn’t provide as much loadability or tension as the cable, but is more accessible.
Face Pull Alternatives
If the face pull just isn’t your jam, there are a couple of ways to get similar results. Here are a few workable substitutions for the face pull.
Rear Flye
[Read More: Banded Face Pull Alternatives]
- Hinge over or lie on your stomach on an adjustable weight bench set to a low incline with a dumbbell in each hand.
- Rotate your arms so your elbows are pointing out to the sides.
- While keeping your arm straight, sweep your hands out to the sides until they form a parallel line across your torso.
The rear delt flye involves many of the same muscle groups that are utilized in the face pull. The major distinction is that there will be less external rotation at the shoulder in a rear flye.
Band Pull-Apart
[Read More: Shoulder Pulling Exercises]
- Stand upright while holding the ends of a lightweight resistance band in your hands.
- Hold your arms up in front of your body with your elbows straight.
- Slowly pull the band apart by driving your hands out to the sides, while keeping your elbows high, until the band makes contact with your torso.
The pull-apart is similar in technique and muscle activation to the face pull but with more of an emphasis placed on horizontal abduction. You can use pull-aparts to stimulate your rear delts as well as get some extra-credit work in for the traps and rhomboids.
Who Should Do Face Pulls
Face pulls can benefit most lifters and gymgoers, as they help to strengthen the posterior shoulder muscles, improve posture, and add stability for overhead and pressing movements. Below is a list of who can benefit from face pulls, and why they’re worth doing on a regular basis.
Strength Athletes
Strength athletes can use the face pull to strengthen the shoulder muscles and help add to the stability necessary for heavy pressing and other overhead lifts. Movements like the bench press and split jerk stress the anterior muscles of the shoulder, while also demanding a lot of stability from the joint capsule itself, making the face pull a great accessory and preventative exercise.
Olympic Weightlifters
Olympic weightlifters require high amounts of shoulder stability necessary for the jerk and snatch. Adding face pulls into a training program either as an accessory exercise or as a warm-up movement can help reinforce shoulder stability, build a bit of muscle, and improve the posterior shoulder strength necessary for big lifts on the competition platform.
Regular Gymgoers
The face pull can be used for all of the same purposes for regular gym goers, in addition to helping improve posture. If you’re not a competitive athlete but still want to bulletproof your posture and keep your shoulders healthy for whatever life throws at you, the face pull belongs in your exercise program.
Face Pull Sets and Reps
If you’re looking to use the face pull in your workout program, odds are you want to increase the strength and size of your rear delts and enhance posterior shoulder stability needed for heavy pressing movements or athletic performance.
- For Shoulder Stability: To warm up your shoulders, do 2 or 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps and pause at the end.
- To Gain Muscle: Go for 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 15 reps with a heavy band.
Benefits of Face Pulls
Below are a few reasons why any strength, power, or functional fitness athlete can benefit from including face pulls into their routine.
Improve Shoulder Health
The face pull can be done as part of your preparation for heavy pressing, shoulder or chest exercises, or just as a form of general priming for the joint.
[Read More: Best Shoulder Warm-Up Exercises to Raise the Roof on Overhead Lifts]
By working on your shoulder mechanics, you can ensure your joints are able to handle whatever you throw at them in the gym.
Increase Scapular Stability
A stable shoulder is critical if you want to perform heavy bench presses, push presses, clean and jerks, or even compete in strongman. No matter your discipline or interest in the weight room, you need to have your shoulder stability dialed in.
[Read More: Pull-Apart Variations For A Stronger Upper Back]
The face pull allows you to work directly on improving this attribute so you can lift safely and effectively.
Develop Upper Back Strength
Working on your scapular control will often result in greater shoulder and back health. Over time, the ability to train continually injury-free and recover from each session will result in more reps performed, more muscle mass created, and a snowball effect of positive performance.
Muscles Worked by the Face Pull
The face pull is a movement that targets a specific set of muscles, most of which are smaller in size and perform specific functions related to shoulder mobility. Below is a list of some of the muscles targeted by the face pull.
Scapular Stabilizers
The scapular stabilizers — like the rhomboid, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and more — are the primary muscles used to control your shoulder during pressing, pulling, and overhead movements. The face pull is a great way to strengthen them and reinforce proper stability necessary for most upper body lifts.
Rear Delts
The rear deltoids are the main muscle used in the face pull, and can be trained directly with the face pull and its variation and alternatives.
[Read More: Best Rear Delt Exercises for Stronger, Well-Rounded Shoulders]
They play a key role in both retracting and rotating the shoulder as you pull the band towards your face.
Common Face Pull Mistakes
If you want to get the most bang for your buck in the gym, you need good technique. Mastering your face pull form means avoiding these common errors:
Dropping Your Elbows
When you perform face pulls, you shouldn’t let your elbows drop down at any point. The face pull is meant to target the muscles in your shoulder and upper back, which you can only effectively isolate if you keep your elbows high.
Going Too Heavy
The face pull isn’t an exercise you can move lots of weight with. Not only is the motion more refined and precise than a row variation, but you can’t really effectively use too much weight either. Loading up the face pull with more weight than is appropriate will severely alter your form, defeating the purpose of the exercise.
FAQs
Depending on the angle of the pull, you can place more emphasis on certain muscle groups. If you are pulling upwards in the face pull, from low to high, you will use more traps, whereas if you pull from a high to lower point, you will use more lats.
No, if you have pain or discomfort, stop. That said, try changing the position on your hands, take a different grip, or try one of the variations or alternatives discussed above. The shoulder is a highly articulate joint, and most people can find a range of motion that is comfortable for them.
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